ARGUS Files: Santa Prisca
by Lord of House Doofenshmirtz
Summary: Shady government organization. Impossible mission. Untrustworthy team. What is it with Oliver Queen and islands?
1. The Mission, the Motive

Authors Note:

This story takes place in a literary Arrowverse I created that started with my fic titled "The League". Some things established in the show lore may not be the same for the sake of the story. Certain events like Amanda Waller having Diggle & Lyla lead Task Force X hasn't happened yet. This story takes place inbetween seasons 3 & 4 of Arrow & after the events of "The League". You do not need to read that story to understand what is happening in this but certain events from "The League" will be referenced throughout. Thanks for reading & don't forget to review!

Enjoy!

* * *

A.R.G.U.S Files: Santa Prisca

The Mission, the Motive

* * *

John Diggle smiled proudly as he playfully tossed his daughter into the air and caught her. Her cheerful laughter filled the room and gave joy to John and his wife, Lyla. There hadn't been much call for vigilantism lately, so Diggle was spending most of his days with his family. Since Oliver had defeated Ra's Al Ghul and his League of Assassin's, and The League had taken down The Legion, the city hadn't experienced any high level threats. Sure there were still criminals, and Diggle had suited up with Laurel, Thea, and Roy from time to time, but the crimes were small, the police had most of them covered.

Life was a dream, really. Oliver and Felicity had been gone two months on their trip, crime was reduced; which had made their vigilante jobs so much easier. Lyla had even stopped complaining about her boss, Amanda Waller, as much as she had in the past. It seemed like nothing could go wrong at the moment.

Diggle played with Sara for a while more, then he kissed her and set her down in her crib. Lyla came in and gave him a kiss before he picked up his jacket. "Going out tonight?" She asked, hearing the jingle of keys.

"Yeah," John said smoothly. "I haven't been out with Laurel and the gang since that last big bust. I'm going out to patrol and catch up on the latest news."

"I understand." Lyla replied with a warm look. "I get the urge to go back to A.R.G.U.S sometimes. It's like I miss the action, you know?"

"You know I do." John leaned in and kissed her again. "I love you both." He started for the door.

"We love you too." He heard Lyla say as the front door closed. He replayed it in his head as he unlocked his car door and got inside. It was late, and the sun was setting on the horizon. By the time John reached the team headquarters it would be dark. And dark was when the criminals they hunted came out to play. John thought back on when he first met Oliver, and had first gotten involved in his vigilante antics. It had seemed so long ago after all that they had been through.

They were going into a fourth year of vigilante lifestyle, with no sign of the end in sight. In fact, every year things had gotten weirder and weirder. First it was Barry Allen with his super speed. That had opened the door to many kinds of weirdos with super powers. Then came Supergirl in National City. Crazy how all that had seemed to spawn from one man with a bow and arrow, in a city polluted with corruption. The events set in motion by Eobard Thawne and Maxwell Lord had brought together everyone in a way that Diggle had never thought possible.

He was so consumed by his thoughts that he didn't notice the drive. He simply parked his car and sighed,"It never stops does it?" Diggle asked himself as he locked his car and turned around to see himself surrounded by men in dark clothing. "Guess not." He punched the nearest man. As the man fell Diggle reached for the pistol in his jacket but he was struck from behind by the barrel of a riffle then everything went black.

* * *

Diggle awoke in a room that felt strangely familiar. As his vision cleared and his head stopped ringing he was able to place exactly where he was, and who had taken him. The walls were standard for military interrogation rooms, and there was only one major military outfit nearby that would have reason to do this. He waited impatiently for another thirty minutes before his suspicions were confirmed.

The door opened, and Amanda Waller walked in. Diggle made a face. "What's with the kidnapping, Waller? Couldn't just give me a call?"

"No, Mr. Diggle, I could not." Waller took a seat and set a briefcase down. She began to pull out several items from it.

"I assume Lyla doesn't know I'm here."

"You assume correctly, Mr. Diggle."

"So let's cut to the chase. What's so dark that you had to stage a kidnapping to tell me, Waller?" Diggle leaned forward. "And it better be a damn good reason or you're gonna have a hard time keeping me here."

"Not hard as you think." Waller replied coolly. She opened a folder and turned it towards Diggle. "Santa Prisca. It's an island in the Caribbean that's responsible for a large portion of cocaine in the world. Along with high humans trafficking, and politically charged murders."

Diggle looked up for a second and then continued thumbing through the file. Pictures of slavery, murders, weapons. He closed the folder. "What does this have to do with me?"

"Santa Prisca is run by a man called Snowflame. Reports are he has some sort of powers or abilities but we've been unable to get anyone close enough to confirm. I've been watching you, Mr. Diggle, for quite some time. You're a capable leader and a great asset to Mr. Queen's nightly endeavors."

"Are you trying to butter me up? Well I can tell you know the answer is no." Diggle leaned back and folded his arms, feeling victorious.

Waller looked at him for half a second then continued as if he hadn't spoken at all. "You have experience leading men against powered individuals. I want you to lead a team, Task Force X, onto Santa Prisca. Once there you will gather intel and dismantle Snowflame's organization as best you can in order to capture or kill the man himself. We'll provide you with everything you need."

Diggle couldn't believe his ears, "Did you not hear what the hell you just said?!" He slapped the table. "Let me the hell out of here, Waller."

"You're going to do this for me, Mr. Diggle."

"Why would I do that?"

"Because I have information on your brothers death."

There was a painful silence in the room as Diggle searched Waller's heartless eyes for the truth. "How long have you had this information, Waller?" Diggle struggled to keep his voice level.

"Newly acquired, actually. Why shouldn't I put it to good use?" Diggle said nothing so Amanda Waller knew she would have to give more. "You'll also get A.R.G.U.S assistance in taking down those responsible once you've found them."

Diggle scoffed, "Why would I want or need A.R.G.U.S' help?"

Now Amanda Waller grinned and leaned forward. "We both know your team won't allow you to do what's necessary when you catch up to whoever Andrew Diggle's killer."

Hearing, Waller speak his brother's name made Diggle boil but unfortunately her words rang true. Diggle was going to end whoever took his brother and that wouldn't sit well with Oliver and the crew. His face softened and Waller knew she had him.

"Take some time to think it over, Mr. Diggle. But nobody outside of Lyla can know what's really going on." Waller packed up the information and closed her briefcase. She left a small phone on the table. "There is one number stored in that phone. If you decide to do this, call the number. You'll get no answer but receive a text with a time and location."

"And how do I explain my absence?"

"I'm sure you'll think of something," Waller moved to the door. "A surprise visit from an old friend, perhaps." She finished as she closed the door.

* * *

Starling City... Well not Starling anymore thanks to Ray Palmer's work. A supposed metamorphosis of sorts to transform this place into something good. Something that would attract people from all over the world to see. New construction work was underway all over the city. Skyscrapers being built towards the heavens with polished windows that reflected light downward. The higher they reached the more shadows they cast and in those shadows was where the evil hid.

Nobody lifted a finger to help The Glades and that's where the monsters hid and worked. No new construction came to the area nor would it. Especially not after the battle between The League and The Legion wrecked even more of the already ruined streets.

Most of the upper echelon of Star City turned up their noses to the truth, using wealth and position as a reason to ignore what was right before them. While the suits and politicians tried to paint gloss over it men like John Diggle knew what was beneath. Still, he loved this place with all his heart. It had grown on him so much in the past years and he couldn't see himself anywhere else.

Yet this city hadn't brought him much good in return for his struggles. A hero often went unthanked but what was going on now was madness. Waller approaching him about leading Task Force X to some super powered drug lord's island fortress? Insane. And yet this was the first lead he had on his brother's killer in months. The trail had gone cold and nothing Diggle did produced any new leads. It's funny really, he had been nearly ready to give up and accept that perhaps it was beyond his control and now this was dropped into his lap.

The team immediately sensed something was wrong when Diggle arrived after A.R.G.U.S had dropped him back off. He played it off as family stress and promised to explain more later, but he had no intentions of it. The moment he saw truth in Waller's eyes he knew he was going to take that job. Diggle knew he was going to Santa Prisca.

"Spartan, they're on the move!" Black Canary's voice brought John back to reality.

John was across the street in sniper position and had a clear view of everything. The deal was going down at a scrap yard near the Glades. There was one main gate for entry that led to three large warehouse like facilities on the left, right, and straight ahead. This left a nice sized open area in-between the three facilities and the gate. It was there that the first arrivals had set up a few tables and laid out the wares. And Diggle had seen it all. He peered into his scope and spotted the guards that were on the rooftops. He exhaled slightly and moved his finger to the trigger.

One. Two. Three. Four. The four guards dropped.

"Rooftop is clear. Speedy, you're good to go." John spared a quick glance at the men gathered below, none had noticed. He trailed Thea as she slid across a wire and landed near where a guard had just dropped.

"Nice shooting, Spartan." Thea commented as she took position.

"ETA is 3 minutes." Laurel told them. Diggle began to count down. Sure enough several SUV's and a large black van came around the corner and entered the fence.

Diggle spotted Laurel underneath one of the vehicles. "Got eyes on Canary." He reported.

The vehicles stopped and twelve men stepped out carrying sub machine guns. "That's another twelve to the ones already here."

"Four of them are already down." Thea reminded John.

"Three against twenty?" Laurel grunted a little as she let herself drop from below the vehicle. Diggle scanned the area as Laurel came from underneath then sprinted to cover in a shadowy corner where she could see the gathered men. "I like those odds." She pulled out her batons.

"Don't get cocky, Canary." Diggle said. He watched through the scope as the two groups met. The newly arrived group was led to a set of tables where things were examined, briefcases were opened, hands were shaken and exchanges were made. Two men broke off from the others and started towards the back of the van. "Canary, got two headed to the van. Take 'em out quietly."

Laurel said nothing. She paused watching the men laugh about something as they unlocked the doors. When the van was open she sprang out from cover and smacked the nearest man across the head with her baton. The second man swung but Laurel ducked and took him in the gut and across the face with her second baton. "They're down." She looked inside the van. "Guys we've got a problem. They're selling a bomb." Inside the van was a large bomb big enough to level several blocks of the city.

"We can't let that bomb get out of here! Speedy, take the wheels out on the van." As soon as Diggle finished the orders two arrows flew down and struck the tires releasing air from them. The men gathered near the tables were too engaged in conversation to notice. "Canary, see if you can disable the thing. Arsenal, you're up."

Another line was fired and down the ropes slid Roy Harper, aka Arsenal. He landed directly across from Thea on the right facility and took up position so that the left side, right side, and the exit were covered by a member of the team. "Arsenal in position."

"Canary. How's it coming?"

"Nothing I can do. If Felicity were here-"

"She's not." Diggle interrupted.

"Got men moving towards the van, Spartan." Thea conveyed.

"Shit." Diggle had taken his eyes off them to glance at Laurel and now four men were moving towards the back of the van with weapons at the ready. Shooting them would alert everyone and their hopes of taking this bust down quietly would be out there door but there was no other way. "Speedy, Arsenal. Get ready. I'm taking them out." Diggle took aim and fired four rapid shots, three struck home but the forth missed. The man was seconds from coming on Laurel when an arrow took him in the back. Diggle cursed Waller for having his mind distracted.

When the four men collapsed all hell broke loose. Automatic weapon fire began to fly up at the rooftops although none knew where the shots had come from. Diggle saw Thea crouched low and moving along the roof while Roy took down two men with quick arrows. He tried to get a good target but the men had scattered and taken what cover they could around the area.

"Canary. Anytime now."

Laurel came from the van and kicked the backdoor, knocking a man out cold. Then she struck the second man in the head with her baton. She moved in-between the vehicles and started to take down the men that Diggle couldn't shoot. Thea and Roy seemed to stand in unison and both slid down their zip lines joining Laurel in the brawl that had broken out. Diggle provided cover fire, taking down the remaining men that were left around the area.

It took all of five minutes before everyone was down and subdued. Diggle walked up with his sniper rifle on his shoulder. The four of them walked to the table and surveyed what was there. Briefcases of drugs, money and weapons along with the bomb in the van. "Good job team. Righteous bust." He patted Roy on the shoulder. "Speedy, Arsenal, get these guys tied up. Canary, let Detective Lance know he's gonna need a few vans for this one." They all shared a brief laugh before getting to their assigned tasks.

* * *

"Good work tonight guys." Diggle called to Laurel and Thea as they left the Arrowcave. The team had returned and changed clothes with the two girls deciding to go have drinks before turning in for the night. Diggle turned it down, pretending to be tired, but really his mind was troubled and stuck on what Amanda Waller had told him.

Roy put his bow in its case and closed it. "You were distracted out there and it almost got Laurel hurt. Something's bothering you and it isn't what you told us earlier."* He walked over and folded his arms while leaning on the case near, Diggle. "The others may not notice, but I did. So what's up?"

Diggle sighed and closed the case with a little force. "Waller had A.R.G.U.S snatch me up earlier. That's why I was late."

"What?! Why would she-"

"She has a mission she wants me to do for her. Says she'll give me information on Andy's killers if I complete it." Diggle interrupted Roy.

Now Roy was silent for a minute. "You're going to do it aren't you?" Diggle looked up but didn't say anything. "I would do it too." Roy admitted. "I understand what you're going through."

"She doesn't want me to tell anyone, least of all Lyla."

Roy scoffed, "Not surprising." He replied. "What she want you to do?"

"Lead a team against a super powered drug lord, and his army."

"Think you can do it?"

Diggle actually smiled a little when he looked at Roy. "Depends on the team."

* * *

After he had left Roy he decided to do some driving and clear his mind a little bit more. This was a strange situation for him. It wasn't a battle with whether or not he should do something, but rather convincing himself that what he was doing was the right thing to do. Regardless of if he felt it was right or wrong Diggle knew in his very soul he had to find out what happened to his brother, and avenge his death. But was that the right thing to do? He didn't know if he would ever be sure, or if he even cared.

Diggle pressed call and the phone rang. As Waller had told him nobody answered. Two minutes later a text came with a time and location. Diggle grabbed his pistol and left.

Sometime after arriving a black SUV approached and parked behind his vehicle. Amanda Waller got out of the car dressed in all black with a large black coat to fend off the cold night.

"Decided to take me up on my offer?" Waller asked, voice full of confidence.

"Two conditions." Diggle said flatly.

"Go on."

"One, my wife knows the truth." Waller's face showed she approved but her silence was the OK. "And is involved in the mission operations. She'll be right there with you while I'm on the ground. Two, I want to know about the team I'm leading beforehand. None of that intro there stuff. Full intel and face time before the mission."

"That can be arranged." Waller started towards her SUV and opened the door motioning him to enter. "Well…?"

"You knew I'd ask for this?" Diggle climbed into the car and buckled up.

"As I said before, Mr. Diggle. I've been watching you very closely for some time." The thought made Diggle uncomfortable. "I had the candidates transferred here after we originally spoke."

"You mean when you kidnapped me?" Diggle corrected.

Waller ignored him and handed him a file. In it was a list of the Task Force X members. "These are all criminals." Diggle noticed.

"Indeed. Zero liability on the countries part if they're caught." Waller was emotionless.

"What about me?" Diggle closed the file.

"You'll be disavowed and your actions will be denied as orders from any US entity." Diggle felt his heart sink low but then he remembered what he was doing it for.

"The names of who did it and support in taking them down?" Diggle asked, Waller.

"Everything you'll need and more, Mr. Diggle. You have my word."

The two rode in silence for the rest of the drive to the A.R.G.U.S base. None knew it was there save for Diggle and his team because of their relationship with Waller and Lyla. Diggle had been here numerous times before but now he was being led somewhere he had never been. Inside a room the floor opened up and began to go down like an elevator taking Diggle, Waller and two A.R.G.U.S agents down underneath the establishment.

The elevator stopped, and they walked down a hallway; which was full of cameras, in addition to there being a guard every 12 feet. The hallway itself was narrow and only wide enough for Diggle and Waller to walk side by side. He supposed that was for security purposes as this location housed several dangerous criminals.

At the end of the hall a walkway spread to the left and right then around the entire length of the large room before them. The upper and lower walls were lined with metal doors each with a small window to see in, and another to slide food into the cells. In the middle were several cages that stretched the length of the room. There were about ten or so cages in all. There was no sunshine here.

"Grim place." Diggle commented.

"They are lucky to be alive." Every time Diggle thought Waller could get no colder she proved him wrong.

In the cells were the individuals that Diggle had seen in the files received from Amanda Waller. One of them looked up and smiled like he wasn't in prison.

"You the one supposed to lead us on our latest mission?" He called up to Diggle.

"Digger Harkness." Waller pointed at the one who had just shouted. "Aka Captain Boomerang."

"I remember him from the file." Diggle's voice held a bit of disgust in it.

"You'd better get used to working with criminals, Mr. Diggle. These men are going to be your only friends out on Santa Prisca." Waller rested her hands on the railing and looked down at the group of individuals that would make up the latest Task Force X.

"And what's to stop them from killing me and escaping or joining up with this Snowflame?" Diggle leaned in and whispered.

"Incentive to follow orders has been placed inside each of their heads." Waller informed him. "And if members of Task Force X are successful in a predetermined number of missions they are awarded with parole."

"You're letting these psychos go free?!" Diggle demanded.

Waller rolled her eyes, "If they survive." Waller motioned towards the cages and pointed to each one in turn. "Helena Bertinelli, Mark Scheffer, Ben Turner and Carrie Cutter will round off the team of you, Mr. Harkness. and Floyd Lawton."

Diggle exhaled to keep his anger in check, as he had had run ins with them all before. A few of them were locked up here because of his or Green Arrows actions but to work with Lawton? The man who had supposidly killed his brother? Then a thought crossed Diggle's mind. There was something more at play here or else why would, Waller send Lawton knowing full well Diggle blamed him for his brothers death?

Diggle decided to play it Lyla's way and bide his time until he gathered more Intel. "You expect people I locked up to take orders from me?" he asked, completely throwing those thoughts aside for now.

"They will do as they're told or they'll be replaced." Waller fixed her icy glare on Diggle. "They know what happens to those that don't follow orders." Diggle said nothing else so, Waller turned to face the cages below them and spoke in a loud and clear voice. "You five have been selected to be a part of Task Force X. This man will lead you on your current mission. You all know how this works."

Waller turned on her heels and started towards the exit without another word so Diggle fell in after her. As the doors behind him closed he heard one of the men say, "Great, we're a part of the Suicide Squad now."

* * *

Back at home, Diggle finally lay back on the couch and let relaxation soak into his bones. It had been a wild few days and with his daughter sleep he could finally rest and gather his thoughts.

"What's bothering you, John?" Lyla came into the room with two steaming cups in hand. She handed one to her husband and curled up next to him on the sofa. "And don't try to deny it."

Diggle took a sip. "Hot chocolate?" He nodded approvingly. "How'd you know?"

"I'm a high ranking member of a secret government organization and I'm your wife." Diggle laughed. "I wouldn't be good at being either if I couldn't see that you've got something on your mind." She rubbed his chest.

Diggle let out a deep sigh that was filled with exhaustion. "Well... Short version is: Waller wants me to lead a team to Santa Prisca and take down a drug lord named Snowflame."

Lyla jumped up. "What? Why! When?! No, John! You can't do this. Why you? There has to be a reason."

"She has information on Andy's killer."

Lyla calmed down a little as the full scope of things dawned on her. "That bitch." She nearly spat. "What did you say?"

"Nothing. I've been just thinking about it and what I should do." Diggle lied.

"John, honey, you can't trust Waller. Why you? What is the real purpose of Santa Prisca? What team?" Diggle could tell that Lyla was a little frantic.

"She said because she's been watching me when I'm out with Oliver and the others. Wants me to lead a team because rumor is Snowflame has some kind of powers. And if it's true I have the experience. Said the team was Task Force X."

Now Lyla's face dropped and she grabbed her husband's hand, "John, no, you can't do this. They call Task Force X the Suicide Squad. It's made up of expendables that Waller can use to do missions with high failure rates. She writes off the losses and can deny any involvement." Lyla's voice was trembling. "You can't do it, John. If Task Force X is involved it's too dangerous."

Diggle just looked at her, "I don't have any more leads on Andy. Nothing. Without this I can't find out what happened to my brother." He stood up. "I have to do it, baby. I won't be able to live with myself if I don't."

"And what about us? Your family, John? What about your wife and your daughter? Are we supposed to live without you if you get killed?!" Then a cold dread began to fill Lyla's body. It was something in John's eyes that told her the truth. "You've already agreed to do it haven't you? Without even talking to me?"

John took her in his arms as the sounds of baby crying filled the air. "I won't die. I won't fail. I will come home to you." Lyla let him hold her for a moment then pulled away and left the room.


	2. The Team, the Landing

A.R.G.U.S Files: Santa Prisca

The Team, the Landing

* * *

The sun had barely risen and John Diggle was already drenched in sweat. He stopped jogging and walked to a nearby bench under a tree. Taking a seat, and a deep drink from his water bottle, he looked out at the view before him. He watched the sun slowly rise to the heavens. It was going to be a beautiful day, he could tell. Already the sky was clear of clouds, and the fresh morning smell was spreading throughout the city.

He took a deep breath of the air and closed his eyes, thinking about what he should do. Though truthfully he already knew what he was going to do, Diggle had exhausted all his leads on Andy's killers. And just when he had begun to feel that there was no hope, Amanda Waller pops up with this.

It wasn't as if he hadn't been in situations like this before. Being up against overwhelming odds, outgunned and behind enemy lines. He'd been in that position before with his brother. Perhaps that was another reason why Waller had chosen him for this. He'd never know her real reasons but that didn't matter much anyways. He stayed there long enough to catch his breath and then got back up to continue his run.

Lyla hadn't spoken to him most of the day and Diggle didn't try to force anything. He went about his preparations for the trip; packing what he'd need, and telling the necessary lies to cover it up. No one knew except for Roy and Lyla, and neither would tell.

Diggle hadn't gone out on patrol with the team, instead opting to stay at home and spend all the time he could with his family. Lyla had been there but remained silent and nursed a cup of wine the entire night. Diggle didn't blame her.

What he was doing was insane, no matter how many different ways he tried to look at it. He had done some digging of his own and found records of the Task Force X missions. They had a high fatality rate. But Diggle wouldn't let that stop him.

'Numbers on a page,' he'd told himself over and over. They didn't have him leading them before. This time it would be different. Nobody would be lost. It didn't matter that they were psychos and murderers. Once on that island it would be them versus everyone else and Waller was clear that they all knew and understood this fact.

It still amazed him that Waller even managed to somehow get away with this. How had nobody noticed what she was doing? Or perhaps they knew and didn't care. It got the job done and their hands stayed clean. The thought made bile rise in Diggle's throat and he struggled to keep it down as he packed. Once done he lifted the duffle bag to his shoulder and opened the door to the bedroom. Lyla was standing there. She pushed him back in and closed the door.

"Don't do this, John." She cut straight to the point.

"I have to."

"We'll find answers some other way!" She stepped close to him. "We can use every resource and shake down every lead." She was pleading.

"I've already done that and got nothing. Waller promised the information and the means to act on it, Lyla. Everything I need."

"She'll never uphold her end of the bargain! I work for her, John. I see how she uses people!"

He put his hand on her shoulder. "And that's why I told her the only way I'd do it was if you were there every step of the way. So you could see everything."

"So I can make sure she makes the right call and not the selfish ones." Lyla realized.

"Exactly." Diggle confirmed. "She'll never send me into a trap with you right there. The team would never stand for it."

Lyla let out a sigh, knowing she was defeated. "I still don't agree with this, John."

"I'm glad you don't." Diggle smiled. "To be honest I thought you were going to try and come with me."

Lyla laughed for the first time in days. "I considered it." She admitted. "But figure I should be here with our baby in case anything happens to you."

Diggle took his wife in his arms and held her close while whispering, "Everything is gonna be alright." Over and over. Neither of them knew if he was trying to convince her or himself.

* * *

Amanda Waller was standing outside the transport vehicle when Diggle arrived at the meeting spot. The day was surprisingly nice out for this time of year and Diggle found himself lost in the quiet beauty.

"This way, Mr. Diggle." Waller opened the door and he climbed inside again. If this SUV was different from the one he'd been in before he couldn't tell. All those government agency vehicles looked the same to him.

While they drove in silence Diggle read through every detail about the men he would be leading. A few of them he was familiar with already. Helena Bertinelli, athlete, marksmen, hand-to-hand combat training to boot and Diggle knew that training had come from Oliver. She was one of the ones they had locked up. Mark Scheffer, this choice made Diggle scoff and he wondered again if this was worth it. Scheffer was a psychopath with a love for explosives. Then Diggle paused and thought about it for a moment. He realized they would need an explosives expert on a job like this.

Ben Turner aka Bronze Tiger, 'Is Cisco naming all the villains in the world now?' Diggle wondered. After skimming through the first few paragraphs it was clear that Turner was to be the muscle for this operation. Same for Digger Harkness and his fondness of boomerangs. Carrie Cutter was a worry for him, as he had seen how psychotic she could be first hand in her obsession over Oliver. However, having someone with a bow around might not be such a bad thing. Diggle had become so accustomed to it.

He skipped over Floyd Lawton's information with a disgusted look on his face.

The ride was long so Diggle continued to learn about his teammates and soon they had arrived at the base and were immediately welcomed in. Waller was let out of the car and Diggle stepped out after her. The area was abuzz with activity. There were soldiers running around carrying things and loading them onto trucks, weapons crates being transported and construction was going on.

Waller must have seen Diggle's questioning facial expression, "We're expanding, Mr. Diggle. A.R.G.U.S is growing bigger every day. As the world fills ups with costumed vigilantes and super powered freaks we have to take caution against possible enemies." While they walked she talked and Diggle could hear in her voice that she was a woman who was proud of the power she had, and didn't care how she used it. Not that he needed a lesson in that as his wife always filled him in on the dirt about Waller.

"You're talking about Oliver." Diggle cut through the bullshit Waller was spinning.

She looked at him, "Mr. Queen, you, your team. The ones in Central City or the ones in National City, Mr. Diggle. All of them pose possible threat to the safety of US citizens."

"Those people you named put their lives on the line every single day for US citizens!"

"And we are grateful for it," Waller replied coldly. "But tell me, Mr. Diggle, if the Flash goes rogue can you stop him? Or if Supergirl decides she doesn't like some of our rules will Team Arrow be there to put her back in line?" She said Team Arrow with scorn and mockery in her voice. Diggle remained silent. "No? Didn't think so. All we're doing here is preparing for the worst while hoping for the best. You of all people should know that isn't a crime."

Diggle silently agreed. After dealing with the Undertaking, the Siege, and the Outbreak, only a fool lived in Star City without an emergency plan of some kind. Diggle had had enough of Waller's self-righteous hypocrisy so he fell silent and followed her quietly. He was led through a doorway and into what was clearly a training yard for soldiers. Today the yard was fairly empty save for being lined by nearly three dozen heavily armed A.R.G.U.S soldiers. The reason for such high security was clear the moment they passed through the wall of soldiers. Task Force X was training.

Diggle could see each of the members he would be leading on this mission going through different types of training. Lawton was hitting targets with perfect accuracy while Cutter was next to him doing the same with her bow. Bertinelli and Harkness were watching while Scheffer seemed to be looking over several explosives. If not for the three men with eyes trained on him, Diggle would think Waller a fool for allowing that psychopath near explosives. Turner was alone beating away at a training dummy with precise martial arts blows.

Waller led him to a man that was standing alone overseeing the training. "Mr. Diggle, this is Captain Rick Flagg. Rick this is John Diggle. He'll be leading Task Force X on its latest mission."

Rick Flagg was a military man if Diggle had ever seen one. Tall, muscular from working out, clean cut with the eyes of a man who had seen combat. The two men shook hands and passed grunts of greeting to one another.

"Captain Flagg will be your number two on this mission, Mr. Diggle. He'll make sure all of A.R.G.U.S interests are seen to and keep me informed about everything deemed necessary." Waller continued.

'So he's your spy because you don't fully trust me.' Diggle thought as he made a mental note to watch what was said around Rick. Waller nodded her head and Rick blew a whistle. The criminal members of Task Force X immediately began to line up in front of the three.

"And this is the rest of your team," Waller waved them over. "Lawton, Bertinelli, Scheffer, Turner, Cutter, and Harkness. This man will be leading you all along with Captain Flagg on this mission. Some of you have been here before and others haven't so I'll fill you all in just in case. You are a part of a team going to complete covert, off the books missions in America's interest. Succeed and you'll be freed depending upon crimes and time already served. Fail…" she cracked a sick grin, "…and you'll die." None seemed surprised by this. "Be captured? You die. Disobey orders? You die. Hell, breath the wrong way and I'll blow your head from Santa Prisca all the way back to right here." She pointed at the ground. "Do I make myself clear?"

Everyone nodded and Waller turned back to Diggle. "All yours. Your transport leaves in three hours." And with that she turned and walked back into the building.

Diggle said nothing until she was gone and then he looked over his team, "Most of you know me," he began. "I had a hand in putting all of you away in in some form or fashion. You deserved it. You commit the crime, you do the time. But this isn't about that right now. It isn't about grudges we may have against one another…" He eyed Floyd Lawton dangerously, and he knew Diggle's words were for him. "…It's about completing the mission and getting everybody back home alive and safe. That's what I'm here for. No more, no less." He looked at Flagg and then each person. "Make your final prep, we live in three hours." Then he turned and stepped away from them leaving Flagg to do whatever he felt was necessary with the rest of the team.

* * *

No matter how hard he tried not to, Diggle couldn't stop himself from casting evil glares at Lawton every so often. It was taking all of his self-control not to simply kill Lawton right now, but he had made himself a promise and he would see it through. If anybody on this team died it wouldn't be because he killed them. It boiled him inside that his brother's killer was a few steps away from him, but Diggle knew there was more to this story then he was being told. Waller had to know that Lawton was the man who killed Andy and she had a reason for placing him on this team, as well as offering Diggle supposed information on his brother's death, and backup to act on it.

The offer was too good to be true but Diggle had no other leads. His last encounter with Lawton had resulted in nothing but a brawl and no information. Lawton wouldn't talk and Diggle couldn't kill him yet or lose a possible lead. So here he was working with a man he had sworn to kill. Funny how the world works sometimes. He shook his head and went back to checking his weapons. Waller had outfitted them with everything they needed. They were well armed with all of their personally favored weapons, as well as ammunition, some food supplies and maps.

Captain Flagg and Diggle had been given personal communications devices that allowed them to talk to each other and Waller on private lines. The whole team were then given ear pieces that allowed for communication between the entire team.

"How's it feel to be on another mission with me, Flagg?" Ben Turner sneered. He had a grin on his face but there was no happiness behind it. "Ever get tired of being Waller's little bitch?"

Flagg stood up but Diggle quickly followed and stopped him before he got to close. Turner stood slowly looking as if he had been waiting for this confrontation.

"Pull something like that again, Mr. Turner, and you won't make it back to see your freedom." Waller's voice came through everyone's earpiece. Turner sat down quietly, Flagg followed suit as the two stared at each other. It was going to be a long flight. Diggle knew this would be only the first of many situations like this.

Hours passed in relative silence for Diggle and Flagg while some of the other members talked amongst themselves. Flagg told Diggle that they knew each other from previous missions. Despite them being criminals, Diggle knew that the bond of fighting together in battle could form. It made him sick to think that he might have that bond with Floyd Lawton when this was all said and done.

Lawton noticed Diggle staring at him. "So what brings you on our little escapade, John?"

Diggle hated the way, Lawton said his name. He hated his face and the way he talked in general but the way he said 'John' really rubbed him wrong. He swallowed some of his anger. "Information on my brother's killer." He eyed Lawton dangerously. "Wouldn't happen to know anything about that would you, Lawton?"

Everyone fell silent as they realized there was something deeper between these two. Lawton chuckled a little. "Still think I killed, Andy?" His voice was nonchalant. "You just go on believing that, John." He leaned back on his arms and closed his eyes.

Diggle scoffed and started to recheck his weapons again for no real reason. Carrie Cutter came and took a seat next to him, smiling the whole time. John looked at her and found that if you didn't know she was a psycho killer she could be beautiful. "Been a while hasn't it?" she asked.

"Yea," Diggle went back to his weapon. "Thought we locked you up for good. Who would have thought you were out running black ops missions for a shady government employee."

"Crazy world, right?" Cutter continued to smile. "After this mission I'll be up for release."

This got Diggle's attention. "And what do you plan to do with that freedom?" He eyed her cautiously.

Cutter's smile never faded as she sighed and sat back, "See the world. I've got some money saved up so I figure I'll travel some." She looked back at Diggle. "Maybe there's love out there for me since I couldn't find it in Star City."

Diggle visibly relaxed. "That's good, Carrie. It's a big world out there. Any idea where you'll go first?"

"I've been thinking about Italy. Place is 'sposed to be overflowing with love or whatever." She laughed.

"Paris is nice." They looked to see Digger Harkness talking. "Been there before for a few missions. Quite profitable." He eyed a large metal boomerang he was gripping.

"Boomerangs can't be that effective in a gun fight." Diggle was surprised that Scheffer spoke, let alone that he said something that was mocking to Harkness.

"You've never been on a Suicide Squad before." Harkness leaned forward. "You don't survive if you don't have skill. Killer instinct. And the weaponry to see it through." He sat back and held up his boomerang. "These have never failed me."

Ben Turner nodded approvingly and cradled his tiger claw in his lap. Scheffer went back to his tinkering and the conversation died out for a bit again. The co-pilot came back after some time and began handing out parachutes to everyone and told them to get ready to jump. They would be parachuting in, with coordinates to meet at a central location.

"Remember ladies and gentlemen deploy your chutes at the last possible moment to stay under the radar. It is absolutely critical that you land on this island undetected." Waller's voice was forever emotionless.

Diggle suited up and got ready then he heard his wife's voice. "Be careful, John. I love you." Diggle smiled. "I love you too." The rest of the team, even Rick Flagg, started laughing and joking about the situation, which made Diggle and Lyla smile. Amanda Waller was not amused.

The co-pilot opened the hatch and told them to jump. One by one they leapt from the plane until it was Diggle's turn. He was used to this sort of thing. Mission in enemy territory. Outnumbered and outgunned but better trained and prepared. In Star City he was the Arrow's right hand man and the team worked well together but this was where John Diggle was really at home. Military action. He loved it and he knew inside his wife did too. They had met in service after all.

The plane quickly disappeared and the night sky was a blur of clouds and stars. He used the goggles to take a look at the island as he sailed down. It was massive from what he could see and near where they were to land he could see an outpost of some kind. That would be a problem, and likely their first target.

Diggle wondered if this was really worth it and reminded himself that he was getting something he desperately needed and was helping free these people that Snowflame enslaved. It was common for Cartels to sweep surrounding cities and villages and take what they want from the defenseless locals. Forcing them to work in fields or having their way with women, and even young girls. Diggle focused on that and concentrated on not becoming a splat on the ground.

He had to wait for just the right moment before he deployed his chute or he risked discovery. The wind sped past him and blurred most of his vision but he could see the dark outline that he knew to be trees getting closer.

'Wait for it...wait for it...'

Diggle pulled the line for his chute and his body was snapped upright from the sudden reverse pull. A quick glance saw a few other chutes deploying in the distance then he returned his attention to making sure he landed safely and didn't break any bones. He used his legs to push through the treetops and prayed that he wouldn't hit any branches or that his chute wouldn't snag anything. Lucky for him the trees broke away into a small clearing where he landed and quickly removed his chute.

The procedure played itself out in his head while he went through it with machine-like efficiency. He knelt while drawing his weapon, immediately surveying the area. After quickly scouting the woods he got behind some cover then tapped the piece in his ear. "This is Spartan. Team status."

"Bronze Tiger. Good."

"Flagg. Code four."

"Huntress. Good."

"Boomerang ready."

"Cupid's fine stupid." Diggle hated that rhyme she always used.

"Shrapnel ready."

"Deadshot awaiting orders."

"Good. Make sure your immediate area's secure. Thought I saw an outpost on the way in." Diggle informed them while checking his weapon.

"I saw it too." Huntress told them.

"Looked like it was about a mile west." Flagg added.

"Alright. Converge on me and we'll move to investigate." Diggle reached and activated a small beacon on his wrist that would allow his team to track him. While he waited he did some more scouting and found some tire tracks leading west in the direction that Flagg had said the outpost was. Diggle made a note of the location then returned to the large series of rocks protruding from the ground that he had been using as cover.

It took about twenty minutes for the entire team to arrive, and once they were all there Diggle had each of them tell him what they had seen while they rested and checked weapons. Mostly the same stuff, but a few reported having seen tire markings or signs of recent passerby's. Once he was satisfied Diggle ordered them to move out. "Bronze Tiger, you take the rear. Boomerang, scout ahead. And I've got point." Diggle said as they began their trek.

They made good time through the dark landscape, and before long came upon a hill that allowed them to overlook the outpost they had been searching for. From the distance they could make out the building, a wall around it, and lights, but not much else.

"We split up and surround them. It's a small outpost so there isn't likely to be many men there." Diggle knelt down slightly. "Deadshot and Cupid, scout the west. Shrapnel and Huntress, north. Flagg is with me. And Boomerang, take the east with Bronze Tiger. Stay out of sight and report everything you see. Don't engage without my order. Move out."

The hill they were on was about a fifteen or so minutes away from the outpost so Diggle and Flagg began their walk, and the time passed uneventfully. As they neared the compound both men instinctively went down to a crawl. They crawled the rest of the way to a safe location that Flagg had picked out, where he had determined the southernmost course was. The plan was simple; take out any guards, neutralize any hostiles, gather Intel and supplies then get out before any possible reinforcements could arrive.

Diggle stopped crawling underneath a large spread of plants that would hide Flagg and himself from any watching eyes. He took out some night-vision goggles and scoped out what he could see from their angle.

"I've one guard patrolling, three vehicles with mounted guns, and a guard tower." Diggle said into the com. "All sides report."

"One in the guard tower, one on the roof and one patrolling the west."

"I've got eyes on the roof and one on the ground to the east."

"Same north."

"Four men on the ground and two up top. Simple enough." Diggle whispered. "Deadshot, take out the two up top on my mark."

Deadshot readied his sniper rifle. "Whenever you're ready, Spartan."

Diggle cringed, Lawton had said his code name in the same annoying manner that he used for 'John'. That meant he knew it pissed John off. That was a matter for another time however. "Three... Two... One... Mark."

Nothing was heard. "Targets neutralized." Deadshot reported.

"All teams move in. Neutralize your guard and then await further orders." Diggle and Flagg came from under the plants and took the safety off their assault rifles. Without the guards on the roof and in the tower their quick jog across the distance between them and the outpost walls went undetected. Diggle went over the wall first and took cover behind the tire of the nearest vehicle. Flagg came over after getting a signal that it was clear. They could both hear voices coming from the inside but couldn't make out words.

Diggle and Flagg proceeded around the back of the vehicle and then came face to face with their guard. Diggle quickly drove his rifle into the man's throat then covered the guard's mouth with his hand. Without warning Flagg drove a knife to the hilt into the man's chest and his eyes rolled backward. Diggle carefully laid the body down and then looked at Flagg with a mix of distaste and gratitude. Flagg wiped his blade on the dead man's cloths and Diggle decided it was more distaste than anything else.

They both moved from there to the nearest open window to listen to what was going on inside.

"Tell that whore to hurry up with him! I want a turn too!"

"You should be more worried about how you're gonna pay her if you lose any more money to me!"

"Pay her?!"

The room erupted with laughter and Diggle could tell they were intoxicated inside. "Team report."

"West in position."

"East in position."

Radio silence.

"North?" Diggle asked and got no reply. "North report."

A loud gunshot went off followed immediately by an audible grunt and snapping sound. All the noise in the building went silent.

"Go out there and check it out." A voice sounded now sober and dangerous. "Mendez report...Clayton report...Mendez! Clayton! Somethings going on out there."

The sound of movement and weapons being drawn happened so fast that Diggle and Flagg didn't have time to make it back to cover. The door burst open and as soon as the first guard saw them he opened fire.

"Down!"

Diggle looked up and saw Cupid standing in back of one of the vehicles with her hands around the machine gun. Her face was awash of pure excitement as she opened fire ripping the guards apart before they could even try to do anything. She fired several rounds into their bodies before Diggle was able to shout loud enough for her to stop.

She noticed his facial expression as she got out of the truck and shrugged saying, "How often does a girl get a chance to shoot one of those?" she smiled. "You're welcome by the way."

"Sweep inside and clean up any guards left standing." Diggle told her, Diggle and Flagg. After they had gone inside Diggle moved to the guards to make sure they were all down.

Shrapnel and Huntress appeared while Diggle was inspecting the bodies and he left them to speak to the two. "What the hell happened?" Diggle demanded.

"This idiot blew our approach and the guy opened fire." Huntress said coolly.

"It almost got me and Flagg killed."

"Such is the nature of the Suicide Squad, Spartan." Huntress teased and walked past them.

"Remind me what you're good for again." Diggle said over his shoulder to Shrapnel who scurried off to follow Huntress inside. Diggle turned to Bronze Tiger and Boomerang. "You two up top and watch for anybody approaching while we scout this out." He paused. "Take a couple rifles with you just in case."

The two went off to follow orders and Diggle went inside the room. Having heard no gunshots he knew the area was secure so he lowered his weapon and proceeded in. The building was small, only two rooms, one of which held about half a dozen frightened and naked women inside of it. Cupid and Huntress were trying to communicate with them and let them know they were safe. Diggle averted his eyes and went into the other room. Inside it was a table with cards and money, one twin sized bed and a closet that had a large stash of ammunition, drugs and money inside it.

"Looks like well over a hundred grand right there." Flagg commented.

A map was on the wall beside the communications area against the wall. The map was marked with numerous locations and Diggle went over to it. "You getting this Waller?" Diggle asked. Waller and Diggle had a private channel between the two of them that only they and the members at A.R.G.U.S knew about.

"Yes. Salvage what you can, burn everything else." Waller ordered. "They can keep the money if you've got a way to transport it. Good job, Mr. Diggle. I knew you were the right man for the job." Beside her Lyla made a disgusted face and folded her arms but continued to silently watch the monitors.

"Take the money, ammo, and anything else we can use out to the vehicles. Shrapnel, I want this place leveled." Diggle turned and picked up a shirt then began putting as much food as he could fit inside before tying it up. He then left the room while the others eagerly began tearing the room up for whatever they could use.

Diggle went back to the others but stood with his back to the door so as not to look at the naked women. "We're leveling the place. Tell them get to safety." He put the shirt he had just stuffed down and then walked back outside. "Report." he called out.

"All clear."

"We're out in five. Be ready." Diggle quickly inspected the vehicles and picked the two he felt were best. Both of them had machine guns so the ammunition from the third vehicle was divided up while they were loading up everything they could use.

Huntress and Cupid led the women outside and pointed towards the dark jungle. They had used some of the soldiers' leftover clothing to cover as many of them as they could. Some had only pants, others nothing but shoes but at least they had food and freedom.

"Would ya' have a look at that!" Harkness teased. Diggle was about to punch him when Lawton beat him to it. Harkness recoiled from the blow and fell back against the tire.

Lawton leaned down and snapped. "Those women have been through hell! Show some goddamned decency you bastard!"

Harkness said nothing just rubbed his jaw and got up to finish his work. Diggle was shocked but remained silent knowing that had needed to happen. He and Lawton made eye contact for a moment and Diggle gave him an approving head nod.

The women looked around and spoke what could be interpreted as thanks and then broke off quickly disappearing into the night. Cutter wiped some tears and Bertinelli looked pissed. "Let's bring this place down and find some more of these scumbags to kill."

Diggle nodded to her. "Load up. We're done here." Bertinelli, Cutter and Lawton got into the second vehicle while Diggle, Flagg, Harkness and Scheffer got into the first. Two minutes later they were clear of the outpost. Driving down a darkened road following the map they had stolen to the next location.

"Blow it up, Shrapnel."

Scheffer excitedly pressed down on the trigger and a series of explosions went off sending flame and smoke dozens of feet into the air. Diggle watched it burn and said, "Good riddance." If Snowflame employed scum like the men they found there tonight Diggle knew he had to take him down before anymore innocents were hurt.

* * *

A typical military generals' hat was thrown carelessly onto the table. Beside the hat were several documents of varying importance, a cold cup of coffee and a large black pistol that looked ancient in comparison to current weaponry. The room itself was dark, except for a small lamp that sat at the corner of the table. Low groans coupled with the softer sounds of moaning and slurping. A large man dressed in a military outfit matching that of the hat sat leaned back in his chair. He had a cigar in his hand burning and a trail of smoke leaked slowly from his mouth.

A knock at the door caused the man to grunt and in came another military man. "Sorry to disturb you, General Bolton, but we've reports of heavy gunfire from Base Four and they've answered none of our radio hails." The man kept his eyes fixed on the ground and ignored the persistent moaning and slurping sounds that were seemingly coming from nowhere.

The singular light cast an eerie glare on General Bolton as he opened both his eyes. They were bloodshot, red, and filled with malice, but a broad grin was set upon his face. "Prepare my men and vehicles. We leave at dawn."

The solider nodded and saluted, then turned on his heels and vanished. Bolton sat back in his chair again and inhaled deeply from the cigar. After several minutes he stood up and the noises stopped. He zipped his pants and placed his hat on his head then reached for the pistol.

"You didn't do a very good job." Bolton pointed the pistol at the frightened woman under the table and opened fire.


	3. The General I

ARGUS Files: Santa Prisca

The General I

* * *

The sun was peaking its head over the mountains as the cloudy night sky began to pull back, giving way to the bright day that was ahead of them. Everywhere the sounds of life could be heard as birds chirped awake and the diurnal creatures did the same to begin again the daily struggle for food and survival. The muted, dark colors of night began to give way to the lush greens and vibrant colors seen during the day. A pillar of gray and black smoke stretched skyward in stark contrast to the beauty, marking the location of a fire that couldn't have been burned out for long.

A gunshot split the morning sounds and sent birds flying off into the distance.

"Line the rest up over there!"

Two jeeps were parked around the smoldering remains of Base 4. Four soldiers were scattered around looking for anything that could be of use while the other four stood guarding several half naked women that they had found fleeing through the forest.

Near the cold, frightened women was the body of who had been their leader. She had been the strongest, and bravest, of them during their trials as sexual toys for the men of Base 4.

She now had a bullet hole in her head, and her eyes stared blankly at nothing.

The women sobbed as they tried to cover the exposed parts of their bodies. They didn't all have clothing on, and they knew that the men in these uniforms were known to have their way with women of the villages. "You whores shut your mouths! The General will have questions!" The women cried more and pressed closer to each other.

Minutes later the rest of the troop drove in; carried by three other jeeps. The cars pulled forward and parked where they could as all of the men got out.

General Bolton got out of the passenger's seat last and looked at his burned base with a grimace. He was going to have to report this. He hated reporting things.

One of the soldiers that had been a part of the scouting team walked up with news. "Ah, General. We found several women in the forest. They were wearing bits and pieces of our uniforms."

Bolton ignored the man and walked over to the line of women. "Have you gotten any information out of them?"

"We were waiting for you to arrive before we began questioning them, General."

"Wise man." Bolton complimented the soldier who swallowed hard. He turned his fearsome gaze down at the women and took a step towards them with his arms folded behind his back. "Whoever gives me anything useful will live." He said simply. The soldier next to him translated and then they stood in silence.

One of the women looked at the others and then stood up. There was much protesting from the others but she pulled away and stood in front of Bolton defiantly looking him in his eyes. She spoke her response and Bolton continued to stare at her.

"She said there were seven of them. They came in the night and killed everyone. Two women with them gave them food and set them free last night. They blew up everything." The soldier translated.

"Thank you." Bolton drew his pistol and blew the woman's brains out all over her screaming friends. "Kill them all and burn the bodies. Catch up when you're done."

Bolton turned on his heels and walked back to the jeep he had gotten out of earlier. Without saying a word every man that had arrived with him got into their vehicles and pulled off as a series of gunshots began to fill the morning.

* * *

The jungle they were driving through offered a host of visual stimulants for any who cared to spare the time. Diggle looked out as they drove over a small bridge and saw that there were alligators swimming in the waters below him. He made a mental note to be careful with any body of water they came across on this mission.

The sun had been up for a few hours now and the heat had come with it. According to the map they had stolen they would be reaching the next base in another hour; so Diggle signaled for everyone to pull over so they could formulate an attack strategy. Diggle had pushed them hard all night to put distance between them and the base they had destroyed but the jungle terrain, coupled with lack of light, had made progress slow.

The two vehicles pulled off the road and drove until they were a safe enough distance that no passerby would notice or hear them. Diggle set up the map on the hood of one of the cars and pointed to the base.

"That's where we're headed next." He informed them. "Far as I can tell, it's set up somewhat similar to the one we destroyed last night. Just bigger."

"How much bigger?" Ben Turned asked.

"I'm not sure." Diggle admitted. "The details on the place were slim but the picture painted makes it seem similar."

"We should scout it out first." Flagg said.

"Agreed. We'll drive until we're about a mile or so away, and then send a recon team to scout it out." Diggle rolled the map back up and everyone got back into their cars.

Cutter, Lawton and Bertinelli followed them in the other car while Diggle and the others rode in front of them making the pace.

"That John Diggle sure is one hell of a leader." Cutter observed. When neither of her companions said anything she continued. "You and him seem to have some history." She poked Lawton in the shoulder but not too much that it would affect his driving.

"John thinks I killed his brother. I didn't. Drop it." Lawton's annoyed tone giving away his thoughts.

"So sensitive." Cutter played being hurt. "We're gonna be together for a while so why not make conversation?" She looked at Bertinelli. "What landed you on the suicide squad?"

"Arrow stopped me from trying to kill my mafia boss father." Bertinelli smirked. "What about you?"

"Little old me? Why I was just trying to bring a little love into people's lives." Cutter giggled and it only added to how psychotic she looked at sounded.

"If you think we're believing that you're crazier than the guards used to say." Lawton said over his shoulder then all three of them laughed.

Before long Flagg signaled that they were getting close to the base. Again the team drove off road until they were secluded and hidden from the main road.

"Bertinelli, Lawton you're with me on recon. Flagg, Scheffer, Turner, Cutter and Harkness watch the vehicles. Keep radio contact to a minimum and silence your weapons." Diggle instructed. Flagg didn't look pleased but said nothing.

Diggle, Bertinelli and Lawton checked their weapons and then began walking towards the next base, leaving their teammates with the boring job of waiting. Harkness wasted no time in lying out on the hood of a car and closing his eyes. They all looked at Flagg, who shrugged.

"I'll keep watch." Flagg told them. "You can rest if you want. We'll be here for a while."

Scheffer and Cutter got into the car that Harkness was sleeping on to do the same but Turner leaned against a tree with his eyes on Flagg. "I'll stay awake if it's alright with you."

"What's the matter, Turner? Don't trust me?" Flagg teased, knowing full well he and Turner had never been on the best of terms. It was a contest of dominance really and would only be solved when and if the two of them ever got to fight it out.

"Not even a little bit."

Flagg lowered his weapon. "If you got something to say man up and say it."

Turner stood up straight and took a few steps forward. "You're big talk knowing your master will pop my head if I do anything to her little pet."

Flagg scoffed, "Whatever Turner. Shut the hell up and keep your eyes on the goddamned jungle."

Turner grinned and folded his arms, knowing that he had won that round of their feud. He leaned back against the tree he had previously been on and finally took his eyes off Flagg.

Inside the car Scheffer handed Cutter a crumpled up dollar bill. "Told ya' they wouldn't fight." Cutter giggled.

"I wish they would. My money is on Turner." Scheffer leaned back in the seat.

"Mine too. Flagg looks like the typical military jock type. Good with guns and stuff but not much else." Cutter copied Scheffer and leaned her seat back as well, settling into it and closing her eyes.

"So far this isn't so bad." Scheffer said. "Compared to what I've heard about these suicide squad missions, that is."

"It's only just beginning sweetie. Don't get comfortable." Cutter stopped talking and soon fell into a relaxed sleep.

It seemed like she was woken up almost immediately by a forceful shake on the shoulders and a voice saying: "Cutter. Scheffer. Let's go, we're moving out now." She sat up and wiped her eyes then climbed out of the vehicle and fell in with the others.

They walked in absolute silence with their weapons at the ready, making sure to keep low and cause as little noise as possible. Before long Flagg was waving them down to a crawl and they approached where Diggle was with hidden with Bertinelli. He had situated himself between two trees that had a large rock rising between them. That plus the other rocks and trees around it provided a nice wall of cover, if you stayed low enough.

Flagg slid up beside Diggle and exhaled a little, "So what's the deal?"

"It's bigger than expected. At least two dozen guards. Maybe more. Lawton is taking a sniper position as we speak." Diggle took a sip of water before continuing. "We can get over the wall with grappling hooks but only if Lawton clears the way."

"Sounds exciting." Cutter grinned.

'Psycho.' Diggle thought.

"How are we doing this one?" Turner leaned on one knee and looked at Diggle, making him feel even more of a leader.

"Four man team goes in hard one way while the two man team comes in from behind. With Lawton sniping we should be able to take them down without much work." Diggle replied with confidence. The rest of the team visibly stiffened up and he could tell they felt more confident seeing their leader's confidence.

"I'll go with someone to be the two man." Flagg offered.

"Alright take Bertinelli with you, the rest are with me. Get your grappling hooks ready and check your weapons. Flagg and Bertinelli, when Lawton gives the green light move past that guard tower. When you get over the wall head north then bend back around to flank them. Wait until we've fully engaged the guards though." Diggle had a stick in his hand, outlining the plan in the dirt.

Everyone went through the motions quickly and quietly, removing their rope and attaching a grappling hook to it before wrapping it around themselves somehow so it would be easily accessible. The wall wasn't especially tall, no more than ten or twelve feet at most.

"Deadshot is go."

"Take out the guards on the roofs and in the two towers." Diggle instructed.

There was a minute of radio silence from Lawton. "They're down. I count four more on various other rooftops but I don't have clear shots at them all."

"Take 'em if you can and mark 'em if you can't." Diggle told Lawton. "Move out."

They half jogged half shuffled across the gap between the wall and the foliage, leaning flat against the wall when they could. Flagg and Bertinelli nodded once and then continued along the wall to follow the orders Diggle had given them. Diggle strapped his weapon to himself and then prayed that the bit of cloth around the hooks of the grapple was enough to keep anyone from noticing the noise of them being tossed up.

One by one the hooks went up, each time they paused to listen for anyone. Nothing happened. The four scaled the wall and hopped down, immediately taking cover behind a nearby building. "I want an explosive on every other building. Got enough to do that?" Diggle asked Scheffer.

The maniac just smiled, "Of course I do." he replied.

"Five minutes." Diggle replied. "Move that way and stay low. Boomerang watch his back. Five minutes then come back, no matter how much you did."

The two left leaving Diggle with Turner. "What's the plan?" Turner asked.

"Engage them hard and distract them. Then sandwich them in-between us with Flagg and Huntress on the other side and Deadshot picking off who he can. They'll think we have more men than we do and hopefully fall to confusion."

"Smart." Turner remarked.

Back at A.R.G.U.S. Amanda Waller and Lyla were listening in and watching through the various camera feeds attached to the seven members of Task Force X. "I knew he was the right man for the job." Waller commented and Lyla remained silent.

Harkness and Scheffer came back. "Done." they reported.

"Alright. We're going in. Move as much as possible to confuse them about our numbers. Take them down." Diggle removed the safety from his machine gun and crept around the corner of the building they were behind.

He instantly opened fire taking down the two men that were standing there having a conversation.

Voices went up all throughout the base as the four men followed Diggle down the narrow pathway that was created by the two buildings being so close together. The buildings were raised up from the ground enough that they could be crawled under and that gave him an idea. He signaled Harkness to continue with Scheffer and for Turner to follow him.

The two men got down on their bellies and quickly vanished underneath the left building. Once under it they could see the feet of several men charging down the lane.

Diggle opened fire from underneath the building taking several of the men in the ankles. While at the same time Harkness and Scheffer opened fire from cover at the left and right sides of the lane. The soldiers were mowed down but more poured out once they started to reload.

Lawton's .50cal rifle rang out and lifted a man from the ground.

"Sniper!"

The soldiers tried to scatter for cover and that was when Flagg and Bertinelli came in from behind them and began unleashing hell into their retreat.

By that time Diggle and Turner had gotten out from underneath the building and everyone began shooting down the remaining soldiers finishing them off in minutes. They all reloaded and met in the middle to check the bodies.

"Search the buildings. Deadshot, stay on watch and report anything. Huntress, you watch the lane. Everyone else move quickly." Diggle and the others began kicking in the doors of the small buildings and sweeping them. They found no more soldiers or women, but a lot of cocaine and money as well as maps similar to the one they had gotten yesterday. There was a functional radio on the wall near Diggle. He quickly shot and destroyed it.

It took five minutes and they all had returned to the lane with everything they would be taking. "Deadshot, let's move. We're heading back to the vehicles and leveling this place." Diggle instructed, then he picked up a bag full of the money they were taking. "Let's start moving this stuff out of here."

"I gotta hand it to ya, Spartan," Cutter said cheerfully. "You've led us flawlessly so far."

"A lot better than Flagg did." Turner grumbled.

"Agreed." Harkness seconded.

"Screw you both." Flagg growled. "We lived!"

"Yea but now we're getting paid and it's been smooth sailing." Bertinelli added her two cents.

"Don't count your eggs before they hatch." Waller told them over the com. "This is just the beginning. You have to draw out Snowflame to take him down."

"Buzz kill." Cupid wined. "We're just keeping a positive attitude you can't deny-"

Several jeeps abruptly drove into the entrance of the base and soldiers began to pour out of them.

"Scatter!" Diggle shouted. "Mockingbird, Deadshot, be advised we've got several bogies."

The vehicles kept their headlights on and pointed towards Diggle and the others. He had no idea where Lawton was but he prayed he was somewhere where he could put that .50cal to good use.

"Open fire." Diggle came from cover and began shooting blinding into the light. There was no need to wait or try to negotiate. Those men he'd seen had been wearing the same uniforms as the men they'd been putting down. He shot several bursts and then took cover before repeating the process.

An all-out gunfight broke out in the narrow lane, but they were at a disadvantage because of the headlights. They had good cover and were safe, but so far they couldn't tell if they were hitting anything or wasting bullets. Then one by one the headlights began to blow out and Diggle knew Lawton had a good position.

"Sniper!" Some had shouted from the enemy ranks.

"Lay it on them!" Diggle bellowed. Everyone came from their cover as one and began unleashing everything they could at the shadows they could now see. "Fall back in two's! Deadshot cover our escape!" A loud gunshot ripped a man's head off as Diggle's reply.

Cutter shot off two arrows that sent thick black smoke up between the two groups, buying them some time. "Shrapnel with me the rest fall back, save your ammo and make the shots count. Rendezvous back at our vehicles." Diggle ordered.

"What about the money?" Harkness pointed to the bags of cash they had left back in the building.

"No time. Move!" Diggle bent down and reloaded with Scheffer beside him doing the same. "Where's the explosives you placed again?"

"Along that line." Scheffer pointed to the four lined down the right.

"Good. Take the left. Open fire as soon as you can see anything. We're just buying time then we'll fall back. Once they're in position-"

"Boom!" Scheffer grinned.

"Yea. Boom." Diggle pushed the psycho towards his post then closed his eyes and quickly whispered a prayer. He inhaled quickly and exhaled slowly then rose and opened fire in several bursts of three or four shots. The soldiers that were advancing began diving for cover and a few of them fell from their gunfire.

Diggle looked back and saw the team was clear of the lane and over the wall. "Move!" He shouted and Scheffer stood and began to fall back. Diggle opened fire while backtracking quickly making sure the enemy didn't open fire. It was truly a blessing that the lane wasn't large enough for a large mass of soldiers to pour through or else they would have easily been overrun. Whoever designed this base had not been worried about ever having to fight inside it.

The two of them reached the wall where their ropes were, Diggle turned. "Blow it."

* * *

General Bolton's thoughts had been on how nice the sky was at night on this island when he heard the first of the gunshots in the distance. Like a hawk he turned his ear and listened to the wind.

A battle was going on ahead of them.

"Drive faster!" He had shouted, for there was only one thing of note ahead of them and it was their base.

Bolton had driven hard to make up the estimated distance whoever had killed his men would gained from their head start. The gunshots meant that those same men were now attacking another of his bases and killing more of his men.

"Faster!" he slapped the dashboard several times as if it would make the machine move quickly. It angered him that he was so close yet still so far away from having a good time.

He had been getting ready to speak to the invaders when they had opened fire. Had they waited another few seconds they would have shot down the leader of Snowflame's military outfit and not even known it. Luckily for Bolton the shots tore through several men in front of him and he took cover to draw his weapon.

Bolton's blood had raced as bullets flew between the two forces and even more so when he saw his men dropping around him. 'They're good.' He grinned and then shot more bullets.

He had the advantage though, as he knew the headlights from their vehicles would certainly be blinding his enemies completely to where exactly his men were. Any kills were lucky to be sure. Before he could take advantage of this one by one the headlights burst out.

"Sniper!" Bolton had shouted.

The battle had grown more intense then, and he began directing his men to sneak around and flank up along the back of the buildings. He sent four up each end and kept the rest with himself to keep the enemy engaged and right where he wanted them.

Then the smoke clouds rose and there was nothing anyone could do until they dissipated. It would be foolish to charge through it not knowing what to expect and so they waited. It took five or so minutes but then the shooting resumed again and he immediately released that they were making as the return fire was significantly lessened. Bolton had sent men charging up and was following after them when return fire caused him to take cover to the left alongside a wall.

Then everything to the right of him exploded in a massive ball of fire unleashing chunks of stone, wood, and body parts into the air.

Bolton was pushed right so hard it felt as if he'd been hit by a car and he collapsed on the ground completely blacked out.

"General!"

"General!"

"General Bolton can you hear me!?"

His ears rang so badly it made the headache he felt five times worse. His vision was beginning to straighten out and then he remembered what had been going on before he ended up with this godforsaken headache. "What the hell happened!?" he demanded.

"Enemy had laid a trap for us sir." The nearest soldier reported. He handed Bolton his water jug "Detonated some explosives to cover their escape. It killed four of our men."

Bolton drank deeply completely finishing the jug contents. "How many dead?" He wiped his mouth and tossed the empty jug to the soldier without offering thanks.

"Eight dead and two wounded sir."

That meant he had six functional men including himself. "The vehicles?"

"Two destroyed."

Bolton stood to his feet and brushed himself off while walking into the middle of the lane. He found his pistol and gripped it tightly while staring at the wall that the enemy had climbed over. Their ropes still dangled from the grapple, blowing slightly in the wind.

Behind him his men were shouting and attempting to put out some of the massive fires all the right side of the base. This was the second one they had destroyed and that angered him. They could likely salvage some of this but still, it was the principle.

Bolton walked over to where the injured men were screaming and being tended to by their comrades. "Bring me a radio. Now." he looked down at the wounded men. "Shut them up. I need quiet." He turned and walked away with his arms folded behind his back.

Behind him two gunshots rang out and the screaming stopped.


	4. Knowledge and Power

A.R.G.U.S Files: Santa Prisca

Knowledge and Power

* * *

They rode in sullen silence for quite some time after making their narrow escape from the enemy reinforcements. If Diggle hadn't had Scheffer plant those bombs they would never have made it out alive. The unexpected arrival of whoever that had been hadn't gone unnoticed either and Diggle would be sure to converse with Waller on the subject as soon as he had some privacy.

Thank God he'd decided to park the vehicles and then continue on foot. Now their enemy would have a harder time tracking them. Come daylight they would have to search for their tracks and then follow them only to discover that they had gotten into vehicles and made an escape. That time would give them several hours head start and that's what they needed.

Waller hadn't had much information on who had been leading the force that attacked them, but from the aggressive tactics used Diggle surmised that it had to be a man of some military background. After driving for almost four hours they pulled their vehicles off the road and parked hidden amongst a large stand of trees. They could hear running water nearby and so made their way to rest and resupply for a time.

Lawton had been set on the first watch with Bertinelli while the others gathered water and took turns rinsing off in the river and scouring the area for food. While that happened Diggle broke off for a private chat with their fearless leader back home.

"Spartan to Mockingbird."

"Go ahead, Spartan."

"What the hell was that back there?!" He demanded angrily.

"Caught us by surprise here too," Waller informed him. "I have no idea who that was but apparently that group has been trailing you since you got on the island."

"Great so now we've got pursuit," Diggle grumbled.

"That was a given seeing the nature of your visit." Diggle hated the mocking tone she had but knew she was right. He should have been prepared for this.

"Wait. How do you know they've been following us?" he demanded.

"You're not the only agent I've got on the ground. My specialist was already there when you arrived and has Intel and more supplies for you. You're to rendezvous with him in a village not far from your location."

Diggle didn't know why he was surprised but kept the shock to himself. Something more was going on here and he had to find out what. He didn't like working a mission and not knowing the full parameters.

"How will we know this specialist?" Diggle asked.

Waller laughed over the com and it made Diggle increasingly uncomfortable. "Believe me, Spartan. You'll know him when you see him."

"Alright, Mockingbird. Send coordinates. Spartan out." Diggle turned to see Rick Flagg behind him.

"She offer anything useful?"

"Never does." Diggle groaned and walked past him. A beeping sound alerted him that coordinates had been uploaded to their GPS. "I'm going to rinse off. We move out in twenty."

* * *

The dense jungle areas eventually broke off and gave way to farmlands and the beginnings of civilization. They saw workers out in fields tending to crops that at first seemed normal but upon closer inspection, the truth was revealed.

"These are massive cocaine fields!" Turner observed as everyone looked. For as far as the eye could see in both directions miles of coca was growing and being tended to.

"Snowflame controls all of this?" Diggle whispered to himself, and for the first time since landing on Santa Prisca he felt doubt that he could complete his mission. What the hell was Task Force X supposed to do about a man with this kind of power?

They continued to drive and eventually the coke fields fell behind and they entered what could be called a city of sorts. It was very third world, to say the least. Rundown homes made from whatever the locals could scrap together for shelter from the elements. No paved roads or fences and no space between homes to speak of. People barely had to clothe and many were without shoes. They all stared at the military vehicles that parked in the middle of the village but none ran letting Diggle know that they were used to this.

As he glanced around at the inhabitants he noted that although they were scarcely clothed all of them looked to be well fed and in good shape from the elders to the small children. It seemed that somehow there was no shortage of food or water for them.

"Weapons at the ready. I don't want any surprises like last time." Diggle got out of the car and drew his weapon but kept the safety on. "Scheffer, Turner, watch the vehicles. Lawton, find a choice spot and watch the road we came in on for any signs of incoming. Report as soon as you see anything. Everybody else with me. We've got to find this contact and get out of here as soon as possible. I don't want to bring any trouble to the locals."

"They might fight with us," Flagg said, walking up beside Diggle.

Diggle looked at the poor wretches. "Perhaps, but we don't have supplies to arm them. If we don't resupply with the contact we'll be screwed soon too. We're running out of gas and bullets."

Diggle, Flagg, Bertinelli, Cutter and Harkness began to walk through the rundown town of coke farmers in search of Waller's contact; someone who would be easily spotted.

Diggle thought this was bullshit as they entered the second hour of their search. They had nearly scoured the entire small village. Then they reached a shadowy portion where the homes were strangely built higher than the others, and where not many of the locals seemed to come. The only path was straight ahead and had shacks on both sides making it so that no more than two could walk side by side.

"Keep your eyes above and be ready." Diggle gripped his pistol and proceeded down the narrow pathway that was before them. They walked for another five or so minutes and found themselves at a dead end with no way forward. "Dead end. Turn around before-

Several large sections of wood were dropped from the shadows above blocking them all inside. "Contact!" Flagg shouted and everyone knelt down and aimed their weapons upwards scanning for the enemies.

"Bronze Tiger, Shrapnel, we've been trapped in a dead end a few blocks from you. Converge on my signal to reinforce." Diggle said over the com.

The doors and windows around them opened without warning and out-leaned several villages all brandishing large military-grade assault rifles.

"Don't move! Drop your weapons! Hands up!" Someone said in broken English.

"Dammit!" Diggle cursed and let his gun fall to the ground.

The locals grabbed their weapons and then vanished back into their homes leaving them all standing there weaponless. "What the hell is going on?" Cutter sounded nervous.

Another door opened but nobody came out. "Mockingbird sent you?" An American voice asked.

"You the contact?" Diggle began to feel a bit relieved but stayed pensive in case it was a trap. Turner and Shrapnel would be arriving any moment to back them up but they would be easily captured too and Diggle had no way of warning them.

"That I am." the voice replied.

"Then come out so we can see your face." Diggle slowly let his hands fall while looking around to make sure he wasn't about to be shot.

"That will be a little difficult." The voice told them as a figure walked out of the shadowy doorway. "Since I don't have a face and all."

Cutter let out a yelp as the voice stepped into the light and he truly had no face at all.

* * *

The inside of the shack was shockingly high tech and well put together. On the outside it had looked like the dead end was just a series of rundown homes that might have been abandoned but once inside they could see that the walls were reinforced against possible attack and that most of the shacks were connected allowing the various agents employed in the village freedom to move between workstations.

A few computers were seen but not many and there were crates of weapons and supplies everywhere including more explosives and food supplies that they would need for their coming mission.

"So you've neutralized two outposts so far? That's a good start." The faceless man complimented them.

After the initial shock of being greeted by a faceless individual, Diggle, and the others had reluctantly entered the home once Turner and Scheffer had caught up with them. Lawton was still on lookout and reporting nothing.

"Yea but we ran into some resistance on the second go," Diggle informed him while pouring some water into a cup. "Military most like. Highly trained and disciplined. Hardly heard a yell when the explosions went off."

"It was General Bolton then." The faceless man said.

"General Bolton? Never heard of him." Flagg folded his arms.

"Not likely you would have either. He's not a real general per say but he runs Snowflame's entire army on this island. He's second only to the drug lord himself in terms of power here. A ruthless son of a bitch that's killed hundreds since I got here." The faceless man seemed to be looking around but nobody could really tell.

"What else can you tell us about him?" Diggle asked.

"Not much really. Highly trained but we don't know where or by whom. He just appeared on the radar a few years ago training terrorist cells across the world and gathering up men for some unknown reason. Vanished for a few months and then next thing you know he pops up here working for Snowflame."

Diggle was silent. This wasn't good at all. After a few seconds contemplation, he asked. "What should we call you?"

"Question will do." The faceless man said.

"Alright then, Question. What more can you tell us?" Turner eyed the faceless man dangerously while fingering his claw.

Question scoffed. "You can stop with the tough guy act, Turner. I know all about you and believe me, you couldn't harm me here. I'm very well protected." He stood up and went to a wall then pulled some paper down revealing a large map of Santa Prisca similar to the one they'd seen before. This one was different however with pictures and strings connecting everywhere along with notes jotted here and there.

"Far as I can tell Snowflame runs about a legit a business as one can when selling massive amounts of drugs to the highest bidder. In fact, he regularly sends supplies to the villagers and is actually liked by most of the inhabitants of the island. They say before he got here there were always different gangs shooting each other for control of this or that. When he arrived he ended all that, gave people jobs and started paying them in small wages. The only reason we were able to secure this safe-house in this hell hole is because Waller paid them a lot more." Question paused to pick up a pointing stick then continued.

"Snowflame's mansion is somewhere here at the center of the island where he has a private airfield and supposedly a secret underwater escape route in case things go bad. I'm unsure of how true that last part is as it's based solely on a rumor from the locals. Despite him being liked and having a firm grip on things, there are still those that don't like the pale-skinned foreigner telling them what to do and that's where Bolton comes in." Question tapped the stick on the picture of General Bolton. "He sends him to calm any insurrection and let's just say Bolton isn't the type to take prisoners. He burns whole villages down and slaughters everyone from the oldest to the youngest without care."

"He's a monster," Bertinelli growled angrily.

"A powerful and highly skilled monster. I've observed some of his work first hand. It isn't pretty." Question told them.

"And you didn't try to stop him?" Diggle demanded.

The faceless face turned towards him. "My job is Intel gathering. That's it. You guys are the strike team. I provide you with the means and you make the way. Simple as that."

"So you won't be fighting with us then?" Harkness asked from the corner of the shack.

"No, I won't. This is to be home base. From here your team will move out to specific locations in an attempt to cause enough damage that Snowflame will be drawn out and then we can strike. It would be foolish to make an attempt on his mansion, the damn things a fortress. The only way to get him is to draw him out and that's what you all are going to do." Question turned his faceless head to each of them. "I've read all your files in great detail and I can't figure out why Waller would entrust such an exact operation to the likes of you."

"We're expendable." Cutter informed him. "We die or get caught and the U.S can just sweep us under a rug and act like we never existed."

Question was silent. "Effective. Smart." He said coldly. "But not you." He pointed at Diggle.

"No. Not me." Diggle replied uneasily, knowing that upset his teammates.

Question was silent again. "The locals are currently fueling your vehicles and loading your supplies so you all should get some rest while you can. If what you say is true you've got about half-a-days head start on Bolton and he won't be able to track you for a while. My scouts will keep an eye out."

Diggle nodded. "Deadshot come in. Rendezvous on my coordinates ASAP. Time to rest and refuel."

"En route," Lawton said easily.

This was getting crazier and crazier by the second and Diggle didn't know what to think. He excused himself and stepped outside seeing the last vestiges of sunlight slowly fading from the sky. It would be dark soon and in a place like this with no street lights or obvious electricity that meant the blackness of night would be absolute.

"Mockingbird I want a secure channel with my wife," Diggle said. There was silence for a few moments.

"Honey. Honey, it's me are you alright?" Just hearing Lyla's voice made much of the tension and stress melt away from him.

"Yea. Yea, baby I'm fine. How's my baby girl doing?"

"She misses her daddy," Lyla told him and Diggle could tell she was smiling when she said it. "So do I."

"I miss you both too. We've made contact with Waller's spy on the ground. The damn guy doesn't have a face!"

"Ah, you've met Question then." Lyla chuckled. "I was a bit unnerved when I first met him too but he's a good guy."

"If you trust him then I guess he might be."

"I trust him because he doesn't fully work for A.R.G.U.S," Lyla replied. "He's a freelancer that Waller outsources dangerous Intel missions too. Finding the answers to questions is his thing, hence the nickname."

"And I suppose being faceless helps with that." Diggle nodded, now understanding. "There's more to this then Waller is letting on. I can feel it in my bones."

"There's always more to everything then Waller lets on. I told you that in the beginning."

"Yeah but now that I'm here on the ground and can see things with my own eyes. I don't know honey, it's hard to believe one man can gather up all this power and influence by himself." Diggle pounded his fist lightly on the wall beside him.

"You sound tired and stressed. When was the last time you slept?" Diggle smiled. Here he was on foreign soil, surrounded by enemies and facing ridiculous odds and his wife is worried about sleep deprivation.

"I haven't." He said knowing she wouldn't react well.

"What?!" Lyla shouted and his smile broadened. "You've been gone over 48 hours already! Go and get some sleep now! Call me as soon as you have an update OK?"

"Yes, ma'am." Diggle mocked and Lyla laughed. "Give Sarah a kiss for me OK? I love you both."

"We love you too. Be safe, honey. Talk to you soon." Diggle closed the communication, took one last look at the burnt orange color that was dancing across the sky as the sun fought for its last few minutes and then went back inside the home base.

* * *

A rumble and some shaking brought Diggle back from his sleep. He sat up quickly as his ears were filled with the sounds of screams and gunshots. "Dammit!" He jumped to his feet and saw people moving around the building like mad men. "Question! Question! Dammit, what the hell is going on?!"

The faceless man stopped moving around. "We've been betrayed! Apparently, Waller doesn't pay enough! Bolton and his men are here! Just appeared out of the damned shadows! You've got to get your team out of here now." He turned to one of the natives and spoke in their tongue. "He'll take you and your men to your vehicles. We had them moved to a safe location while you slept."

"What about you?" Diggle asked.

"Don't worry about me. I'm always prepared." Question said. "Now go! Hurry!"

Diggle and his team quickly suited up, locked and loaded their weapons and followed their guide out another entrance. The guide paused at the doorway holding a finger to his lips and motioning for them to stay low then opened the door and walked outside.

It was chaos.

Bullets flew in all directions as the few villagers loyal to A.R.G.U.S were engaging General Bolton's forces in an intense firefight. Bodies of villages and soldiers alike lay here and there, their blood mixing with the dirt to form a crunchy slop of mud beneath their feet. General Bolton's soldiers were everywhere it seemed and it was only a matter of time before the small A.R.G.U.S resistance was overrun by their sheer numbers. Through the hail of gunfire Diggle could see even more vehicles coming to a halt with soldiers pouring out. Bolton had come prepared this time.

Their guide broke into a run across an open expanse where soldiers and villagers were shooting heated lead at each other. Diggle stayed low and followed and the group quickly closed the gap between them.

Just as Lawton, the last one, cleared the gap they heard, "There they are! Get them! After them!" And they all knew that the chase was on.

Within moments bullets began to skirt past their heads, barely missing them. The guide led them through a series of turns and Diggle took a knee behind some cover. Their pursuers were gaining and they couldn't outrun bullets.

"Shrapnel! Bronze Tiger! With me!" he shouted. "Flagg take the rest to the vehicles and prep everything! We'll be there in five!" Turner un-shouldered his assault rifle and took cover to the left of Diggle. "Conserve your ammo we're just buying time. Shrapnel, set up explosives there and there." Diggle pointed. "I want this path blocked in two minutes."

The enemy soldiers came into view and both Diggle and Turner opened fire in several bursts, forcing the enemy backward. "How's it coming, Shrapnel?!" Diggle called over his shoulder.

"One second..." The shooting continued. "...one second..." One of the soldiers fell from several shots by Turner. "...one second..."

"Dammit, Shrapnel hurry the hell up! They're still coming!" Turner growled while reloading.

"...One more second..." Diggle dropped another soldier with three precise shots. "Got it! Let's go!"

"Fall back!" Diggle stood up and unleashed the full fury of his automatic rifle, providing cover for Turner and Scheffer's retreat. When he saw the soldiers had fallen back he turned on his heels and broke out at a full run after them. They only had seconds before-

The explosion behind him was so powerful it flung him forward and he collapsed down onto the ground hard. Diggle's ears rang and his vision was blurred as he struggled to regain some form of cohesion. He could hear the faint echo of voices then he felt strong arms grip him and haul him to his feet.

It was Turner.

He then heard more gunshots and muffled voices as he began to see and hear clearly he saw that Lawton and Flagg had returned and were bent down unloading rounds at the incoming soldiers that had somehow made it through.

"They flanked us somehow!" He heard Flagg screaming. "Secure the god damned vehicles! We have to move!"

Diggle's ears still rang and he was effectively useless for a moment, save his legs which were still moving forward without his command. The body's natural survival instinct he suspected. Gunshots and explosions could be heard all around as well as screams and orders being bellowed.

When Harkness saw Turner basically carrying Diggle he quickly ran over and helped carry the load. The vehicles had been stored behind several buildings behind a canopy of low-hanging trees. There was a road that led off into the forest and that was where they were going to go. Cutter was in the driver seat of one while Bertinelli had taken up another. Diggle was tossed in the passenger's seat and the door closed behind him.

"You alright sweetie?" He recognized the voice.

"Cutter...what the hell happened?" Diggle groaned.

"Question's explosives were stronger than Shrapnel thought. Made a really big boom. All the soldiers are converging on us as we speak." She reported.

"Then let's get the hell out of here." Diggle rubbed his head and sat up feeling better. He checked his rifle and then prepared to do battle again.

Lawton, Flagg, and their guide ran towards them while simultaneously shooting backward to hold the soldiers at bay for a minute longer. The guide bent down and began shooting recklessly only to be taken out in the chest and head by a dozen bullets. He fell dead to the ground.

Lawton and Flagg both jumped into the gun positions on the back of the vehicles and began unleashing heavy machine gun fire at their pursuers killing many and forcing a brief retreat.

"What about Question?" Diggle asked nobody in particular.

"Forget about him. He's better off alone." Waller's voice instructed over the com.

Diggle grimaced, not liking the idea of leaving someone behind, but having no way to rescue Question or even know where he was Diggle smacked the dashboard several times, "Go! Go! Go!"

* * *

General Bolton inhaled deeply and exhaled with a dark smile. He loved the smell of blood and gunpowder. It was almost arousing to him. He walked through the battlefield with arms folded behind his back watching as his soldiers shot down all who dared resist his command. A villager was screaming his lungs off, gripping his stomach in aattempt to stall the loss of blood. Bolton pulled his pistol and shot the man in the head with a smile.

"Press forward men! I want them all dead! Burn the buildings and kill them all!" Bolton shouted loud as he possibly could.

His men were sweeping through the shanty town like a plague. The little resistance that had been mounted was slowly being whittled down by his men sheer numbers and superior weaponry. They pressed forward slaughtering villagers armed and unarmed alike. Grenades and firebombs were thrown into shacks and windows and the black choking smoke began to stretch skyward towards the heavens.

A loud explosion ripped apart an area to the left of him and he knew that's where his targets were. "There! Send every available man there! That's where they are! They're trying to escape again! Bring me, my god damn truck!"

* * *

Animals and insects of all kinds were fleeing throughout the jungle from the sounds of gunfire and loud vehicle engines. Two military grade jeeps burst through the canopy of bushes, catching some air before landing roughly back onto the jungle floor and smashing forward. Behind them came several other trucks chasing after them. The soldiers inside were leaning from windows or standing in the beds and firing as best they could at Task Force X.

Lawton was standing behind the mounted machine gun of Diggle's jeep unleashing every round they had back at their pursuers while Flagg was in the other car doing the same. Most of the bullets were missing because of the erratic driving of Cutter and Turner.

Diggle and the other passengers tried their best to provide extra fire but it didn't help much either. The soldiers kept pursuit hard and were returning fire at a relentless rate. It was a miracle that Question's men had resupplied and loaded their vehicles in time before the attack happened or else they would be running with no hope of returning fire or defending themselves.

Bullets skirted past Diggle's head and he leaned back inside the vehicle to reload his rifle. "We're being pursued and taking heavy fire, Mockingbird. There's no losing them in this jungle!"

"We've got to get somewhere safe and hold up there!" Flagg bellowed on the com.

"Question's Intel shows there should be an abandoned outpost of some kind near you a few miles west." Diggle recognized his wife's voice and also could sense the worry in it as well.

"Alright. Upload the coordinates!

"Got it. We'll follow you!" She replied.

The two vehicles swerved to the right and continued to drive at full speed, punching through the thin shrubbery and plant-life. Diggle said silent thanks to God that they had not rammed into a tree or met a fallen one on their path so far.

"Watch your ammo, team," Diggle instructed. "We're going to need it if we're to survive a siege wherever we're going!" Diggle leaned out the window again and started shooting more.

The chase continued for another mile and it seemed like they were gaining distance and possible getting away. By Lyla's estimation, they should be reaching the location of relative safety in a few minutes. Diggle exhaled a little trying to calm his nerves as bullets continued to zing past him, although to a much lesser extent now that they were putting distance between themselves and whoever was chasing them.

"Bertinelli, take point. We'll hang back to make sure you guys have a few minutes to scout the base and assure that it's empty." Diggle instructed.

Cutter began to slow down allowing them to get ahead of them, then pulled behind so that they were now driving in a straight line. The shooting behind them stopped briefly but only long enough for Diggle and the others to wonder what was happening.

Suddenly a massive black truck flew from overhead and crashed down beside them, almost landing atop of them. The truck had darkly tinted windows and its engine sounded like thunder. It had massive off-road tires and looked to be armor plated.

"What the hell?!" Lawton shouted nearly losing his balance from the swerve Cutter had to do to dodge the truck.

Before he could regain himself and get back behind the mounted machine gun a figure leaned from the passenger seat of the truck. Several shots went off from what sounded like a pistol, one of which tore into Lawton knocking him backward.

"Lawton's hit! He's down!" Harkness tried to pry open the window to climb back and check on him but the gunfire was trained on him and he was forced to duck back in.

"Great. More bullshit." Diggle grumbled as they continued to drive.

"Ah, Spartan...you might want to take a look at this..." Harkness whispered.

When Diggle turned around he saw the passenger now leaning out and aiming a grenade launcher at them with a sick grin on his face. "Cutter swer-!"

But it was too late. The grenade launcher fired and exploded on the ground next to them, sending the jeep to the left and into a tree. The armored vehicle, plus the airbags, protected Diggle and his team from most of the damage but heads were still rattled and they were dazed. Behind them, the black truck came to a halt and five armed men got out preparing to advance on them but bullets forced them back behind their truck for cover.

It was Bertinelli and Flagg unloading the mounted machine gun. "Get them over here now!" Out of the truck came Turner who ran over to them and opened the passenger door.

"You guys alright?" he demanded.

"Yea. Yea we're fine. Lawton's down in the back. Get him over to the other vehicle while we cover you." Diggle grabbed his weapon and some ammo then got out and joined Flagg in shooting at their pursuers.

Turner went to Lawton who was gripping his bloody arm and breathing hard. "Hurts like hell." He grimaced and reached for help getting down. Turner led him over to the other jeep where he was placed in the back on the ground next to Flagg. Everyone else made their move to the other vehicle as well.

"There isn't enough room!" Scheffer exclaimed.

"Lap it up dammit! Make it work!" Diggle screamed.

Everyone got inside first and then Diggle went to the passenger side just in time to see the grenade launcher being brandished again. "DRIVE! DRIVE! DRIVE!" He didn't bother to get all the way in, he had just grabbed the inside of the vehicle when Bertinelli pulled off at top speed. The grenade sailed right past where they had just been and blew up their other vehicle along with all the supplies inside it.

The explosion caused their jeep to rumble a bit but it was able to stay upright and they drove off. Their enemy having to get back into their own truck gave them a few seconds head start.

"How's Deadshot?" Diggle demanded.

"Bullets lodged in his arm. Can't do anything about it right now but wrap it up and pray for the best." Turner informed him.

Diggle spat, their sniper was down. Not a good way to be going into a possible siege. After another five minutes of driving, the outpost came into view and they could see it was nothing more than two buildings with four walls around it and one gate for entry. It was rundown and looked like it hadn't been inhabited for several years.

"Drive through the damned gate!" Diggle braced himself as Bertinelli drove headlong into the wooden gateway that blocked their entry. The jeep smashed through it easily and came skidding to a halt, nearly turning over on its side.

Everyone inside immediately got out and began shooting through the open gateway at the truck rumbling towards them. "Turner! Get Lawton inside one of those buildings now! Flagg lay down suppression fire from the mounted gun!"

Everyone did as they were told and concentrated all their shots at the incoming truck. The windshield burst outwards and they heard the passenger scream as the truck lost control and tumbled over and over.

"Block the gateway with whatever we can find! The reinforcements will be here soon! Cutter, Bertinelli I want you two on the wall with rifles. The rest of work on getting the gateway blocked." Diggle checked his assault rifle and reloaded it. "We're gonna be here a while."

* * *

Four military vehicles slammed on their breaks and came to a halt a safe distance away from the outpost. "That's General Bolton's truck!" One of the men shouted and they broke out into a run towards their fallen leader's vehicle. When they reached it Bolton had already climbed from the wreckage and was leaning with his back against the overturned vehicle.

"General are you alright?!"

"Yes. I'm fine." Bolton stood up and brushed himself off. "They're holed up inside the outpost. Set up a perimeter around the whole thing. I won't have them escaping off into the jungle again. Have the rest of the men arrange the vehicles so that they'll provide cover from the shooting when it starts."

"Yes, sir!"

General Bolton stretched a little and found himself smiling again even though he had lost several men in the pursuit. That was irrelevant to him as there was no shortage of soldiers he could recruit, willing or unwilling.

"Get me a radio! I've got to report to Snowflame." Bolton didn't take his eyes off the outpost in front of them. He felt alive, at home even at this moment. It had been years since he'd had this much fun.


	5. Squad Beset

A.R.G.U.S. Files: Santa Prisca

Squad Beset

* * *

General Bolton walked with arms folded behind his back, inspecting the defenses he had his men form to ensure that his prey didn't escape into the jungle again. In total, he had ten vehicles around the abandoned outpost, two on each side with two soldiers a piece and the final four forming a straight line directly across from the entryway. He had twenty men around the building in total with eight of them stationed where his truck was parked and the other twelve spread out around the sides in groups of four.

He suspected that at least one of the enemy was injured as they had not attacked or made attempt to flee since they managed to throw together whatever rubbish they could find to block the gate they had slammed through. His scouts had informed him that two people were on the walls with rifles and watching the perimeter at all times.

Bolton knew that meant he would lose many men if he made attempt to storm the building as there was no cover between his blockade and the outpost. All the trees and shrubbery had been cut down allowing a complete 360-degree view to anyone in the outpost. He had entertained the idea of driving his armored truck through the enemies' pathetic gate but once inside they would be surrounded and his men outside would still be mowed down as their vehicles weren't armored. So Bolton had opted to ensure there was no escape then radio for reinforcements and be patient. The enemy couldn't leave and neither could he.

"What are our orders, General?" one of the soldiers interrupted his thoughts and made him return to reality and he wasn't too pleased about it. He hated being asked questions he had already answered and would usually have shown aggression but at the moment he needed all his men fully functional.

"Same as before. We wait." Bolton grumbled angrily.

"General," the soldier said nervously. "..If...if I may speak plainly?"

Bolton stopped and his eyes narrowed dangerously at the unknown soldier. He didn't say anything for a moment, fighting against the urge to strangle this fool. "Speak," he finally said.

"Why not just storm the place? We'd lose some men, sure, but they don't have what it takes to stop all of us. We could have this mess cleared up in a few hours."

Bolton laughed and all the soldiers near him jumped a little for this wasn't normal. After a moment of laughter, he turned his back on the soldiers and folded his arms behind his back again. "Because Snowflame is on his way."

* * *

Lotton's scream was so loud Diggle swore that everyone surrounding the outpost had heard it. They had placed him inside one of the two buildings and were digging the bullet out of his arm. Painful without proper medical supplies but necessary. They had heated a knife over some fire and Harkness had started digging it out. It was taking longer than expected but it finally fell out and Lotton went limp in the chair he was sitting in, sweating profusely and looking pale.

"Hurts like a son of a bitch." Lotton finally murmured to let the others know he wasn't passed out.

Harkness began wrapping up the wound. "He should be alright with some rest."

"Won't be much time for rest," Flagg said as he entered the room. "They've still got us on all sides, boss man. Bolton's out there right now checking every angle."

"Dammit." Diggle started pacing. "You hear that, Mockingbird?" he touched his ear to communicate with Amanda Waller.

"Of course, Mr. Diggle. I hear everything," she replied back.

"And?" Diggle said in an agitated tone.

"You know there is nothing I can do." Waller's voice was cold and emotionless. "I placed you in charge for a reason, Mr. Diggle."

"Dammit!" Diggle stormed out of the room and walked out into the open to get fresh air. He gazed up at the wall where Helena Bertinelli and Carrie Cutter were pacing impatiently, gripping assault rifles and staring out at the blockade that had been formed around their ragged outpost.

"Huntress, Cupid get some rest. Flagg, you're on the wall with me." Diggle walked to the only vehicle they had and pulled his assault rifle from the front seat. He took a quick inventory of their supplies and his heart dropped a little.

They had enough ammo for each of them to get two or three extra clips at the most. Enough food to possible last a day or two, limited explosives and about 100 rounds for the heavy machine gun on the back of the vehicle. He thought about all they had lost when their second vehicle had been destroyed but forced the thoughts from his mind. Dwelling on the past wouldn't help him at all.

Flagg joined him in walking to the wall, "I don't see any way out of this boss," he said in flat tones.

"Waller's no help either," Diggle grumbled and Flagg didn't look surprised.

"Well, that's no shocker. We knew the risks when we signed up for the job," Bertinelli sounded calm for someone possibly facing death. Diggle knew she had been in such positions before during her hunt for revenge in Star City.

"Signed up? Ha! More like we knew the risks when we were forced out here." Cutter smiled, she was pretty in the light at the moment. Psychotic and pretty. "Still better than being locked up in that A.R.G.U.S basement never seeing the sun. I'd rather die out here in the fresh air any day."

Diggle couldn't help but admire her resolve. "Nobody is dying. I gave my word." Diggle put a hand on her shoulder. "You two go and try to sleep. I have a feeling we're going to need it soon."

Cutter and Bertinelli both left Diggle alone with Flagg on the wall and the two military men stared out at their opposition. "Not lookin' good," Flagg grunted and leaned on his elbows on the walls edge.

"Yeah," Diggle replied uneasily. "He's waiting for reinforcements for sure."

"Once they get here we'll be overrun," Flagg stated the obvious while still eyeing the enemy blockade around their position.

Diggle was silent and thought for a bit. "Then let's make sure we take as many of them down with us as we can." he pointed at the truck with the heavy machine gun. "They'll try to send men through the gate, it'll be the easiest route. If we get the gun placed right we can mow them down with that while everyone else keeps the others from coming over the wall."

Flagg grinned. "I like your style. That will at least make 'em think twice and maybe force a regroup."

"Only problem is we're limited on ammo and explosives."

"Then we'll let that Scheffer do what he does best." Diggle's eyes lit up and Flagg nodded. "Yeah, I'll tell him. Gather whatever we can find that will go boom."

"Have Turner and Harkness get to work moving that machine gun off the truck and set it up hidden behind the barricade. When that bastard Bolton tries to get his men through he'll be in for a rude awakening."

* * *

The hours trickled by slowly for the beset members of the Suicide Squad. Diggle kept most of the watch while the others rotated between sleeping and working on building up a meager defense against the growing horde outside their walls. The machine gun had successfully been lifted from the truck and placed in a somewhat sturdy position behind the barricade they'd built where the gate used to be. Scheffer had managed to create several pipe bombs from a few grenades and some other explosives he'd taken apart.

It was a ragged and pathetic defense, to say the least, but Diggle was proud of what they had accomplished with such little supplies in the small amount of time they had been there.

While they built defenses the enemy force grew stronger and stronger. Every hour or so another vehicle or two would pull up releasing four or more soldiers from inside it and Bolton could be seen directing them to one of the four positions his men had taken around the outpost. With every man the enemy gained Diggle's heart sank more and his hope of seeing his wife and child diminished.

"What the hell were you thinking?!" he silently screamed at himself while he watched helplessly as eight more soldiers joined Bolton's ranks. He cursed the heavens that Lotton was down and couldn't use his rifle to take out the General as he wasn't trying to hide anymore. He could probably use the rifle himself but at the distance, Bolton was he wasn't sure he'd make the shot and if he missed it would be the only opportunity.

"You okay honey?" it was Lyla's voice coming over the com.

Diggle immediately felt some of the stress wash away but it was quickly replaced by the feeling that they would never see each other again. "Yeah. I'm fine. Just keeping watch. The team has set up what little defense we can but it won't stay them long."

"What's it looking like out there?"

"Near forty men now with more coming every hour. No sign of stopping either." Diggle sighed. "We've got maybe five or six pipe bombs, three or four grenades, a heavy machine gun with 100 or so rounds and enough clips for maybe three a piece. Lotton is injured and we're surrounded on all sides."

Lyla was silent and Diggle knew she was thinking. He knew if his wife could she would be on the fastest jet with everything they needed to take down Snowflame and Bolton, Waller's plan be damned. "You promised to come home."

Diggle's heart fell as he heard the emotion in his wife's voice. At that moment she sounded like a scared girl and was seeking some form of strength from her husband's words. He inhaled deeply and closed his eyes, "I did promise and I always keep my promises. I don't know how but I'm going to make it back to you and Sarah." His voice was full of emotion and he felt a deep pang of pain knowing that he might be lying.

Still, they both talked to each other for a long time and Diggle wondered if Lyla was doing it because it might be the last time they spoke. He also wondered if Waller was listening and if so was she touched? Diggle shook his head to himself thinking, 'Waller has no heart or soul. She can't feel anything.'

Thirty minutes later a truck even larger than the one General Bolton had been in arrived with three other jeeps each holding four men. "Lyla, baby, I've got to go. I love you." Diggle immediately told his wife.

"I...I love you too, John." Diggle could tell Lyla broke down right before their transmission was cut.

He put sentimental thoughts to the side and opened up the team com,"Everybody ready. I think it's about to go down," Diggle instructed them.

Harkness and Scheffer took positions at the gate where the machine gun was hidden. They had been given strict instructions and were there for a reason. Bertinelli and Cutter were stationed South and Flagg and Turner had been sent to the East and West. With Lotton down Diggle had been forced to split his men. Lotton could have held a side down by himself with the sniper rifle and some secondary rounds.

"Where's the biggest clutch of their men?" Diggle couldn't hold back his grin. It was, Lotton on the com.

"Deadshot, you good to go?" Diggle asked.

"If I'm gonna' die it'll be with guns in hand." The team cheered into their com's and Diggle felt a surge of renewed vigor.

"Alright you take West and Bronze Tiger and Flagg can take East." Diggle checked his weapon and thanked God he had already divided up the ammo in each location. Everybody knew what they had to do was make every shot count. "Once the main gate is breached, Shrapnel and Boomerang will fall back. Shrapnel you know what to do, after that fallback and reinforce Deadshot. Boomerang you're with me. We hit 'em fast, we hit 'em hard and we make 'em hurt."

The minutes dragged by and nothing happened but it was clear that all the men they needed were there. Diggle watched Bolton directing from a distance and talking to another man who seemed to be giving orders as well.

Then the first wave came.

It was two jeeps full of men from all sides as one. A perfectly coordinated attack. The enemy knew their forces were injured and spread thin and were hoping to overrun one side. But that wasn't going to happen.

The first wave was annihilated.

Diggle and his team opened fire, surprising the enemy drivers of both vehicles and killing them causing the jeeps to lose control. Some tumbled but most came to a halt with the men inside trying to take cover and shoot. They had only made it half the way to the walls. One by one each of the men were taken down until the first wave was a circle of dead around the shaggy outpost. Diggle counted 32 men had to have died in vain.

"Reload and be ready," Diggle told them.

There was a two-minute pause then the second wave came but this time they were shooting back forcing the team to take cover and pause in-between returning fire. Lotton easily picked off the drivers of each jeep the second time and again the men were shot down forcing the rest to take cover behind the first wave empty vehicles. Many died but many now had positions halfway closer to the outpost.

Diggle noticed this and cursed. That bastard Bolton had sacrificed the first wave of men to make a closer barrier. His men were returning fire now from where they were while the third wave moved forward in their vehicles. Soon they would have a line around the outpost closer than the one before.

"We've got to let some of them come at us so we can thin the heard. Lighten the fire to draw them out then take 'em down," Diggle ordered.

The team stopped firing and after a few minutes heads started to peek out and before long the first few men came out from cover. They now had enough men to lay suppression fire while team members moved in closer. The situation was progressively getting worse.

Then he thought about his family. About Sarah and Lyla and how they needed him to be there for him. A renewed flame sparked itself and rekindled his will to live. "Wait till you see the whites of their eyes..." Diggle whispered without knowing it.

He counted down the seconds in his head, eyes closed and forehead drenched in sweat. "Now!" They rose as one, each shooting with intent and lethal precision. Lotton tore the heads of three men in a row before the enemy returned fire and forced them to cover. Diggle grunted as bullets slammed into the concrete he was leaning on and zipped past overhead. "All sides report."

"Taking heavy fire," was the general reply from everyone.

"Give what you can and follow the plan," was all Diggle could think of as he rose from cover and opened fire down at the wave of soldiers charging the walls. He dropped a few here and there but this was it and he knew it. A jeep rode forward with men hanging off the sides and men leaning from windows shooting wildly.

"Shrapnel get ready. Here they come." Diggle emptied his clip and took cover to reload. The enemy jeep was driving straight for the gate. He heard the sound of the machine gun being loaded and then Scheffer shouted.

"Now!"

And the barricade gave way revealing the heavy machine gun they had mounted just inside the gateway. Harkness had a smirk on his face as he unleashed hell onto the charging jeep. The window exploded out with blood mixed in the glass and the vehicle tumbled and started to roll. Soldiers were flung dozens of feet in the air crashing to their deaths on the ground. The ones inside were killed when the jeep burst into flame and crashed right into the wall below Diggle.

His eyes widened and his body reacted without being told to. "Get away from the wall!" Diggle shouted and leaped from the wall just as the flaming wreck exploded sending fire and destruction where he had just been. He hit the ground, rolled and came up on his feet to see Harkness and Scheffer standing a few feet away from him staring at the massive hole that the car had just caused.

"Fuck." Harkness checked his assault rifle as he saw men charging towards the hole.

The explosion had caused another entrance to open and that meant that they wouldn't charge where they had set up the explosives and the machine gun. "Boomerang! On the machine gun! Shrapnel you're with me! We're gonna try to drive them to the trap!" Diggle wasted no time and moved to the right edge of the hole while Scheffer took cover on the left.

"Concentrate on the left flank!" Diggle counted to ten and then came from cover and opened fire along with Scheffer. They took the enemy by surprise and managed to drop several of them while the others scrambled. There was no cover but if they could get too far to the left or right Diggle and Scheffer couldn't shoot them safely from cover.

The men were herded to the right and moved towards the main entrance that they had blocked. Right for their trap. "How many explosives you got left?" Diggle asked. "Enough to bring some rubble down and try to block this hole?"

"Barely," Scheffer replied, eyeing the gap.

"Get up there, stay low and make it happen. We can at least force a bottleneck here." Scheffer nodded and ran to the stairs that would take him up. "All sides report."

"East still clear but they're getting close."

"West is same. Ammo getting low."

"My arms killing me but I'm holding it together." Diggle could feel the pain in Lotton's voice but also the resolve and determination. It inspired him somewhat and he was struck by strange feeling momentarily. This was the man he'd been led to believe killed his brother yet here they were fighting as brothers in arms.

"Alright. Shrapnel is coming to back you up soon. Conserve your ammo and make every shot count. These guys aren't very disciplined or trained. They're used to going up against helpless villagers and animals. We play this right and we might-"

Diggle's inspirational speech was interrupted by more charging men. This time the most they'd had come at them yet. Bullets came in the dozens forcing his team to take cover. There was almost no chance for return fire for a few seconds because of the shower of bullets.

"Explosives are in place," Scheffer reported.

"How long is the fuse?" Diggle asked.

"Five, maybe six seconds."

"Light when I give the order and jump down. After that fall back to Deadshot and reinforce there."

Back at base Amanda Waller listened carefully to every one of Diggle's words. She held her hand under her chin, looking almost amused by the situation. It made Lyla sick and she swallowed her anger.

The men charged forward but now were slowed by the return fire of the squad. Still, nothing could stop them and they were nearly out of ammo. Diggle moved from the wall, "Shrapnel! Now!" He rushed away over towards Harkness and watched as Scheffer lit the fuse then jumped from the wall. Just as the men began making their way to the wall the bombs went off sending large chunks of the remaining wall tumbling down on them, closing the gap and killing many.

Diggle ran and helped Scheffer up. "You okay?"

"Fine. This is just..." Scheffer looked around. "...intense."

"It ain't over yet." Diggle patted him on the shoulder. "Get to Deadshot." Scheffer perked up a bit and jogged off. Diggle watched for a moment and found himself feeling odd about how he was growing connected to people he had once helped put in jail.

"Incoming!" Harkness' screams brought Diggle back to reality and he knew what it meant. The men had given up on the hole and were now charging the main gate in vehicles.

Diggle grinned. He'd hoped they'd do that. He held up his hands waiting for the perfect moment to give the order to shoot. If they did this right the jeep would stop perfect enough to block up the entryway for them.

'Wait for it. Wait for it,' Diggle thought as he spied through the hole. 'Now!' he gave the signal and pulled back a sheet of metal they had placed that allowed the machine gun a perfect shot from covered position.

Harkness opened fire and tore the jeep to pieces. It tumbled once and slammed into the wall. Diggle and Harkness jumped back as the wall swung a bit but then steadied itself. The plan had worked! Before Diggle could even think he and Harkness had slapped hands as if they were old buddies. When they both realized it became awkward and they took up position. The machine gun was now empty and useless so they fell back to cover behind the wreck of their jeep and waited. The men would now start to come over the walls and climb over the wreckage blocking the gateway. It was then that Diggle had planned to set off the last trap Scheffer had set up in the main gateway and collapse it down onto more soldiers.

At least that's what they had hoped.

The enemy jeep exploded in the main gateway sending stone into the air. Diggle and Harkness ducked under their own vehicle for cover as the stones fell from the sky.

"North end what the hell was that?"

"Spartan?! Boomerang!? Do you copy?!"

"We're fine. Enemy set off something big." Diggle grunted. They both crawled from under the jeep and quickly took positions on either side. The dust was clearing and Diggle could see that the explosion had destroyed the entire gateway leaving it wide open. Their final trap was gone and they were trapped and surrounded. He looked at Harkness and it was a realization between the two of them.

This was their final stand. They silently nodded and bumped fists one last time then began counting to ten in their heads.

"Find them! Surround them! Take whoever you can alive!" General Bolton walked in with troops spilling from behind him. He was holding a large grenade launcher that he tossed aside.

Diggle and Harkness both opened fire with everything they had tearing into the troops while they had no cover. Bolton drew a pistol and returned fire, fearlessly leading his men towards the enemy.

Atop the small walls the team had seen what was going on and the feeling of dread came into them as they saw they were effectively surrounded. One on all sides began to shoot down at Bolton and the charging wave of men while the second kept shooting at the men coming for the walls still.

"There! Return fire!" he was shouting as he knelt down and quickly reloaded his odd looking weapon.

Diggle looked for an opening but couldn't find one. "Fall back!" he and Harkness began sprinting towards one of the two buildings. "Give em everything you have."

The team above covered their retreat and they made it safely into the rundown shack of a building. From the doorway, they shot more rounds but Diggle's weapon went empty and he had no more clips. He drew his pistol and began to shoot until that clip was empty. He looked at Harkness who nodded that his weapon was empty as well.

"I'm out."

"Me too."

"It's over."

The reports came from his squad and Diggle knew it was over. "Cease fire!" Bolton's voice somehow boomed louder than all the guns being fired. "Finally run dry?" he mocked them. "Reports tell me the second vehicle you stole was full of supplies. Figured it was just a matter of time. Thing is, Snowflame wants all or some or one of you alive so I'm giving you the chance. Come out, surrender and we won't shoot ya down."

Diggle felt his heart sink for a moment but then Harkness held up his boomerangs and he remembered that everyone except Scheffer was deadly in hand to hand. If Diggle was going to die he'd rather die fighting then die being questioned by some drug lord.

"Take them any way you can." Diggle inhaled sharply. "It was an honor serving with you all." he complimented them in the traditional military way as a sign of respect. Diggle and Harkness both ran from the door and immediately attacked the nearest person. Up top, Huntress and Cupid had sprung down and joined the fight to the left while Bronze Tiger and Rick Flagg did the same to the right.

Lotton leaned his back against the wall and gripped his bloody arm. It hurt like hell and there was nothing more he could do. The soldiers near him surrounded him and knocked him out with a rifle.

They passed him down to get him from on top of the wall.

Diggle was beating on the men with everything he had. This was his final fight and he wanted it to be glorious. His punches cracked noses and broke jaws as he struck unrelenting at anyone in his way. Harkness was slicing men apart with his boomerangs in an almost beautiful way like this was what he'd been waiting for. These men were as untrained in close quarters combat as they were in shooting and military tactics. They were dropping like flies but there was and a seemingly endless supply of them and his team couldn't fight forever. Scheffer caught one too many blows to the head and went down first but there was nothing anybody could do but fight forward.

Diggle could see Bolton standing behind the screaming goombas he called soldiers with his arms folded behind him and interest in his eyes. The bastard wanted to see how long they'd last.

"Everyone! Try to get to Bolton and take him out!"

All attention was turned towards beating three paths towards the enemy leader. If they could get to him they could maybe send the army into disarray and escape. The punching and kicking took on new force and Diggle was now snapping arms and legs with kicks.

Harkness tossed a boomerang at Bolton but it missed and began to curve around. Just before it came to him a rifle flew from the ocean of men and struck the boomerang knocking it down. For a moment he was shocked and that was all the time needed. Someone punched Harkness and they swarmed him and he was lost in a dusty cloud of fists and feet. Diggle didn't notice as he was fighting for his life while moving towards his goal. Bolton noticed they were fighting towards him and Diggle swore he saw the man smile.

Cupid was taken down next when she ran out of arrows but Huntress continued fighting towards the objective with the ferocity of someone trained by Oliver Queen. It was Diggle, Huntress and Bronze Tiger left and they nearly made before being overwhelmed. Bolton began to clap as his men wrestled Diggle and the remaining two down to the ground.

"Admirable attempt," he sneered with a grin. "But it's over now." he motioned with his hand then his men tossed Harkness, Scheffer, Cutter and Lotton down to the ground in front of Diggle and the others. Bolton seemed to soak in Diggle's look of worry. "Alive. Don't worry. Snowflame has questions for you."

The men parted and Diggle laid eyes on Snowflame for the first time. He had long white hair pulled backward and a thin, almost hollow face as if he did drugs. The sleeves on his shirt had been ripped off showing well-toned arms and muscles and his eyes were wide with pleasure and a hint of annoyance. He was about two inches taller then Diggle and carried himself like a man who knew he had much power at his command.

"So this is the group that has been causing so much trouble around my island?" Snowflame stopped next to Bolton.

'An American!' Diggle realized as soon as he heard Snowflame speak.

"Yeah. All of them wrapped and bagged for questioning." Bolton motioned at Diggle with his chin. "He's their leader," he pointed at Diggle. "Seen him giving orders a few times."

Cutter and the others started to stir back to consciousness and sat up to see themselves and their teammates surrounded by the enemy and captured.

"Well, this sucks." Cutter grumbled.

"Silence, woman," Bolton commanded in an angry snap.

"You don't own me. I don't have to do-

Bolton pulled his pistol and shot Cutter in the forehead, blowing her brains all over Scheffer's leg.

"No! No! You son of a bitch! No!" Diggle started to squirm and struggle and managed to get to his feet before soldiers punched him several times and put him back on his knees.

"Look at how he struggles." Snowflame grinned and patted Bolton on the shoulder. "No more killing, my friend." Snowflame stared into the remaining Task Force X teams eyes. "Yet.."

* * *

As soon as Diggle and the others went down, Lyla left the room quickly not wanting to see anything else. She pretended to be grief-stricken and made her way quickly through the building and outside. Once safely outside the building she went straight to her car and got inside.

"Did you guys get all of that?" Lyla rubbed her cheeks and pulled up a secret screen from inside her car that had a video feed with Oliver Queen on it. Beside him stood Roy Harper and his sister, Thea Queen. Arsenal and Speedy, members of Green Arrow's crime fighting team in Star City.

"Yeah, we got it Lyla," Oliver replied carefully folding his arms. "So what's the plan?"


	6. Team Arrow

A.R.G.U.S. Files: Santa Prisca

Team Arrow

* * *

"That's one hell of a plan..." Thea mumbled.

Roy was standing next to her with his arms folded."A stupid plan if you ask me." Thea nodded in agreement.

Lyla looked dismayed and turned around to stare at the board in front of them.

"It certainly isn't the best plan but it's all we've got guys," Oliver said plainly, trying to make Lyla feel better. "Dig is in trouble and we've got to rescue him. I'm not leaving one of ours like Waller would leave one of hers."

Roy nodded silently and realized he had hurt Lyla. She was suffering the most out of all of them. Diggle was like a brother to everyone here but to her, he was so much more. He was a husband and a father and she had watched him be taken alive by a murderous drug lord. "I'm sorry, Lyla." Roy broke the silence. "I can't imagine what this is like for you."

"No, no! It's OK." Lyla tried to sound strong. "I know it isn't much and our resources are limited..." She glanced at the board behind them. "...my husband is there somewhere on that island. I'm going to save him..."She looked back at the team, and added, "...with or without you."

"You don't have to worry about that, Lyla," Oliver assured her. "We will save him and bring him back to you." Oliver walked over and touched the point marked 'headquarters' with his index finger. "This is Snowflame's home and this is where Dig and the others were last seen."

"You think they'll take them there?" Thea asked.

Oliver looked at the map some more. The entire board had been worked up by Lyla in an hour with all the information she could steal from A.R.G.U.S since John Diggle had accepted the mission. The whole area was pretty much mapped out, with camps, villages, armories and everything pinpointed and marked.

"No. It's too far and there are closer alternatives." Oliver tapped a marker. "I think they'll go here."

"The prison camp? Why?" Roy seemed confused.

"Because it's closer and will have everything Snowflame and Bolton need to extract information..." Lyla's voice was almost numb as the cold realization dawned on her. "We have to hurry."

"Alright, so we know what we're up against but what are we working with?" Thea asked coolly. While the plan might not be the best she was fully confident that they could pull off the rescue mission. Her brother was like an expert on islands and her father had trained her masterfully.

"I've still got friends in A.R.G.U.S that will help us. We'll have communication and some visual but we'll have to bring Felicity in on this with us. I'll need the help. Three teams, twelve men. All highly trained and know the situation. Transport and pickup with a man on the ground that will update you on the latest when you touch down," Lyla finished and Roy felt a little better about their odds at success.

"This operation is completely off the books and totally illegal. Waller will likely have my head when she finds out," Lyla spoke frankly, her facial expression and demeanor had gone from confident military woman to concerned wife and friend. "I can't tell you all how much it means to me that you're doing this for, John and I." Tears welled up and she broke down.

"Hey, hey! Lyla it's okay!" Oliver hugged her. "You guys are our family. I swear to you everything will be alright."

"I just wish I could go..." Lyla started to straighten herself out. "..Johnny needs me."

"That probably wouldn't be the best idea." Thea chimed. "On the off chance, something goes wrong..."

"I know, I know. Sarah will need one of her parents." Lyla turned her back to them. Her voice was breaking again. "Everything is ready, they're waiting for you at the location on the board." Thea and Roy started to leave and Oliver placed a hand on Lyla's shoulder but didn't say anything. After a moment he turned and followed his team.

* * *

Oliver, Thea, and Roy were loading all of their equipment into the trunk outside together. It was nearing 8 pm now but by the time the sun came up they would be nearing their destination. Lyla had arranged for everything and Oliver had to admit he as surprised by just how efficient she was and had been. It seems that the moment her husband agreed to lead the mission she had begun working on this rescue and put everything together in secret. 'You're a lucky man, John.' Oliver smiled to himself at the thought.

They finished loading and all got inside the blacked out SUV that was being driven by two A.R.G.U.S agents. They were wearing their masks and costumes but their weapons and ammunition were packed away in the trunk. While Lyla and Waller may know their identities nobody felt the need for a covert black ops team to know it as well. Trust wasn't something they needed for this mission. Oliver only needed these men to follow instructions.

Within the next hour, they were dropped off at some secret back-end airfield that was hidden behind a tall line of trees outside of the city. The trees ran the length of airfield hiding it from the view of anyone on the highway. In front of the trees ran a long chain-link fence that was lined with signs saying "Danger Electrified Fence. Government property. All trespassers will be prosecuted in Federal court." They had driven through a back entrance that was lightly guarded by only a single man who quietly waved them along.

Oliver was making note of everything, in awe at just how much power Lyla had if she needed it. Now here they were, standing in a warehouse with thirty-six black ops soldiers next to a sleek and swift looking aircraft.

One of the soldiers noticed them looking at it and said, "Prototype aircraft," to them. "Two to three times faster than conventional planes and uses half the fuel. Less room for passengers but speed's the name of this op I'm told."

"Yes, thank you for the information." Oliver walked over to the soldier and shook his hand. "I'm the Green Arrow. This is my team: Speedy, and Arsenal." He motioned to them both.

"We've been briefed, sir. We know where we're going, what we have to do and what we're up against," the soldier replied firmly.

Oliver nodded, beginning to like the man already. He was tall and seemed to be well built under the body armor and pads. "What's your name?"

"Lowe, sir. Justin Lowe."

"Tell me something, Lowe." Oliver pointed towards the runway. "How are we supposed to take off if the runway is dark?"

"The pilots here have been trained in doing this specifically for covert takeoffs like this." Lowe didn't sound fully supportive of the notion. "So I'm told," he added.

"Alright, Lowe. Get the men ready. We leave in ten." Oliver turned back to his team.

"This is nuts!" Thea half shouted, half whispered. "Lyla put all this together in a few days?"

"I know. I'm shocked too." Oliver agreed. "We've got to be careful out there. We've never worked with these men before and that makes them sort of a liability. I would have preferred it just be the three of us but this is Lyla's operation so we follow her rules. We get in, gather some intel, rescue Dig and get out of there."

"What about the rest of his team?" Roy asked.

Oliver hadn't thought of them. Diggle had fought with them and spilled blood with them. He wouldn't want to leave them behind. Even if, from what Oliver had learned, they were just criminals that had been locked up by their own hands.

"I don't know if we'll have room. We'll have to run it by, Lyla when the comm is up." Oliver decided. He glanced quickly at his watch."Alright. Let's move out."

* * *

Scared as he may have been when the pilot had taken off in the dark, Roy had to admit that this was far scarier. The plane was tighter in the belly and back to lighten the weight and increase speed. Because of this, the thirty-nine people in the back were incredibly cramped. That, however, was not the part that frightened him but the skydive from the plane in the blackest of nights and releasing a parachute at a low altitude scared him to no end.

He remained strong and kept his face neutral while strapping up his gear and parachute. They were approaching the drop site and it had to be fast. The sun would rise in a few hours and if they were spotted they'd be killed before they could hit the ground. Lyla's latest intel said that Snowflame had increased security somewhat since catching Diggle and his team.

The next thing Roy knew the back of the plane shifted and then began opening up. Without hesitation, the A.R.G.U.S men leaped from the plane by twos. Oliver looked at Roy, "Get ready. And don't look so scared." Oliver grinned and Roy grimaced realizing he had failed in looking unafraid.

Oliver and a soldier ran and leaped from the ship. Roy hesitated, it was just him and Thea now. "Let's go, Arsenal!" Thea didn't wait to see if Roy followed her. She rushed forward and dove out. Roy silently cursed and then followed suit.

The wind would have been blinding if he hadn't been wearing goggles. He could feel it ripping at his clothes like icy claws. He closed his eyes for a moment but then quickly opened them when he thought he might hit the ground. The feeling you get when going down a steep drop on a roller coaster was swelling in his stomach and wouldn't go away.

He thought he spotted several black dots expand in front of him and figured the rest of the team had released their chutes. He judged the time and then pulled his chute. It snapped him back so hard he felt as thought he'd break his back. The treeline came into view almost immediately and he plunged into it at a good speed. His parachute caught in the branches and he slammed backward into a large tree knocking the air from his lungs.

He hung there briefly to gather himself. The forest was pitch black but he could hear the sound of running water and knew there was a river nearby. He could just make out the water because of the moon's reflection. The darkness around him was new and terrifying in a way because it was something he hadn't experienced before. He was a city boy through and through. He used a knife in a chest pouch to sever the parachutes cord then fell lightly to his feet and turned on the comm in his ear preparing to let the team know he was safe.

Then he heard the shouts and gunshots.

Suddenly lights appeared in the jungle and shadows behind the lights opened fire. Roy barely rolled behind the tree in time and prepared an arrow. The lights were coming from vehicles the enemy had hidden in the darkness. Snowflame and Bolton had been ready for them and they'd fallen right into their trap.

"Converge on me!" Oliver called over the comm.

"What's going on?" Lyla demanded. Back in Star City, she was sitting with Felicity at the computers; both of them were wearing looks of pure worry.

Oliver grunted and took cover, trying to assess the situation. He was able to see better than most at night after spending so much time on Lian Yu. There was a line of enemies in front of them with a river behind them preventing a retreat. "They were ready for us," he reported. "They've got us stuck between their line and a river."

"Oh my god." Lyla's heart dropped. She had sent these men into a trap.

"Aim for the lights!" Oliver ordered as he came from behind cover and quickly let off two arrows that hit their mark.

All around him, the team began to shoot out the lights, evening the playing field but they were still surrounded and on enemy territory. Snowflame's forces had lost the element of surprise and these were highly trained soldiers. Even though some were being cut down around them they shot with deadly precision and moved in coordinated motions.

Oliver spotted Thea up in the trees moving silently towards the enemy so he shot an arrow up and the zip-line pulled him up next to her. They moved like animals until they were directly behind the enemy line then as one they leaped down and began tearing them apart. Oliver shot several arrows into legs while Thea charged directly at a soldier and took him down with a hurricanrana before breaking his arm.

The enemies turned and began to rush the two bow-and-arrow wielding assassins, afraid to fire for fear of hitting their own men. Oliver and Thea began to viciously beat the soldiers down either knocking them out or incapacitating them. His men then began charging forward and opening fire at the now exposed backs of the enemy.

"Keep shooting!" someone shouted and some of the enemy soldiers turned to attempt and return fire. However, momentum was lost and with Oliver and Thea having flanked them, they would be easily cut down.

Roy led the soldiers past the line of destroyed vehicles, killing the last of the soldiers with a swift arrow to the chest. "Well that went well," he joked with a tired smiled.

Oliver looked around, "All clear," he reported much to Felicity and Lyla's relief. "But we took heavy losses."

"How many?" Lyla asked, concerned all over again.

"Looks like half our men are dead."

"Shit. Alright, fall back to the-"

"We can do this." Thea interrupted Lyla. She looked at the soldiers around her, some of whom nodded approvingly. They'd come this far and wouldn't turn back now. "We won't let their deaths be in vain."

"Alright then," Lyla said, pride bubbling in her voice. "As per latest intel, your contact should be about two miles to the east and knows you're imbound."

"Copy that. Lowe..." Oliver called the A.R.G.U.S agents leader. "We need to-

"Mendez! Pitts! What the hell is going on out there? Did you get them?!" a radio on one of the dead men who'd tried to ambush them began to go off. "Mendez! Pitts! Report!"

"Shit." Thea moaned.

Lowe looked at Oliver, "They'll be here any minute to check out what happened."

Oliver looked thoughtfully at their surroundings. "And we'll be here to greet them."

* * *

"We've arrived at the site." Two jeeps slowed to a halt and the eight men got out, slowly walking towards their comrade's vehicles. It was still pitch black but their headlights gave visibility.

"I see bodies." the men readied their weapons and approached. "It's Mendez. He's dead." The man rose from checking Mendez pulse.

"Pitts is over here!" someone reported. "Dead too!"

"Search for survivors and-"

Gunfire erupted from underneath the vehicles catching them men in the legs. They screamed and collapsed, many of them catching arrows to various body parts the moment they hit the ground.

"It's a trap! It's-"

The remaining soldiers were finished off quickly and then silence. Slowly, the A.R.G.U.S agents came from underneath the vehicles and Team Arrow slid down from the trees. The soldiers congratulated each other.

"Your plan worked perfectly, Green Arrow," Lowe complimented him. At first, Lowe hadn't been fond of the idea of being led by non-A.R.G.U.S agents, especially vigilantes that barely were able to keep their city in line. However, he had noticed the masks taking care to ensure as many of his men lived as possible and the Green Arrow's latest plan had saved more lives. His quick thinking kept them from being slaughtered by the trap when they landed as well. These were people who deserved respect.

"Only because everyone did their part to perfection," Oliver returned the compliment to his men. They had fought hard but now wasn't the time for respite. "We've got to get on the move. They'll send reinforcements soon." He took a quick glance around. "Speedy, you and the others will take two of those jeeps and drive to the rendezvous point. Arsenal and I will cover your tracks then take two others and lead them in the opposite direction. We'll ditch the jeeps then meet you and the others."

Everyone seemed to approve. "You sure you don't need some backup?" Lowe asked.

Oliver smiled a little. "We'll move faster alone. Take what you need and leave in five. We've got maybe a three-hour time window to make this happen."

That had been nearly two hours ago and Thea had ridden in relative silence since being told to abandon her ex and her brother. At least that was what it felt like to her but in truth Oliver had entrusted her with leading these men and making sure they arrived safely.

"This place is kind of beautiful in a creepy way," Lowe commented absently as he drove down the quiet road.

In truth that was another reason for her silence. She had been admiring her surroundings. She, like her brother, was able to see relatively well at night. Her father, Malcolm Merlyn, had been sure to teach her everything a member of the League of Assassins would learn. Thea had been transformed from the frightened maiden to a cold-blooded killer under his sometimes brutal tutelage. It confused her at times because she often wondered if she hated him for it or was grateful.

"We're nearing the coordinates," Lowe reported.

The trees and foliage began to thin out and they entered an area that looked like a shantytown with dishevelled buildings and downtrodden people. Thea, however, immediately saw through the facade and sat up.

She spotted several men hiding weapons underneath their clothing and thought she caught a glimpse of what could have been light reflecting off a sniper's scope in the distance. "Safeties off. We've got possible hostiles up ahead," she told the men.

"Looks like civilians, ma'am," one of the soldiers replied.

"Shut up and do as you're told." Lowe snapped. Thea looked at him and he grinned a little then continued driving. As they entered the shantytown they received no resistance and everyone acted as if they didn't exist. It was strange to Thea so she drew her bow just in case, many of the people around them were armed.

"Alright, Overwatch. We're here. Now, what?" Thea asked them.

"Follow the marker and it will take you to the location," Felicity said.

"The contact's name is Question and the password is almighty mega, Speedy," Lyla added quickly.

"Got it." Thea and the men began to walk through the tight corners, remaining ready but settling a little. The further in they got the more relaxed the people seemed to be.

After a brief walk through several corners, they came to a door. Everyone looked at each other wondering what to do so Thea knocked on the door.

"Password," came a gruff and crusty voice.

"Almighty mega," Thea replied firmly. There was the sound of several latches opening and then a few locks turning followed by a loud bar being moved. 'Heavy security for a jungle shack.' Thea thought. The door swung open and she immediately understood why. Inside was a tech base on par with what they had back a Star City. "Amazing."

The team came inside and the door closed then was locked behind them. Inside were five heavily armed men and several people working on computers. "I'm looking for Question," Thea said out loud.

"Then you've come to the right place."

Thea turned around and gasped. "Your face!" the soldiers around her had to catch themselves, almost raising their weapons. The man before them was faceless.

"I get that all the time." Question held up his hands peacefully. "I assume you're the team sent to extract the asset?"

Thea took note of Question not using names or specifics. "Part of. Two more are coming."

"I was under the impression that there would be more of you," Question said.

"We were ambushed soon as we landed," Lowe informed him. "They hit us hard. We lost a lot of good men."

Question nodded. "Sorry to hear that," he replied. "But that brings up a bigger issue. How did they know?" Question looked around the room at the guards and nodded once. They all immediately drew handguns and shot all of the people working on the computers.

Thea, Lowe, and the soldiers jumped. "What the hell man?!"

"Not my usual style, I assure you, but if only these people in this room knew about your landing. If Snowflame and Bolton found out that means we had a leak. No time for deep investigations, sadly." Question nodded again and the guards began to move around and gather their things. "On top of that, Waller can never learn about my involvement with this operation. The information you'll need will be uploaded to your GPS systems in a few minutes. This site will probably be safe for another few hours. Long enough to meet the rest of your team and get out of here."

"Why? Everyone here is armed and this place is a relative killing ground from what I've seen." Thea commented.

"Because more than likely, General Bolton is coming and I've had my fill of him. My time on this island is done." Question said simply. "There's supplies and things here for you. Rest while you can. Your mission won't be easy."

* * *

He had barely finished with his latest woman when the call came to him. General Bolton had stretched and climbed from the bed, his body was muscular and toned with scars here and there from battles previously fought. His hair had streaks of gray here and there and his facial hair was perfectly cut giving him a true air of power.

Snowflame had opted to take his time with his latest captures and Bolton suspected that he knew more about the situation than he was letting on. However, when Snowflame sent word that a rescue team might be sent in and gave precise instructions on how to prepare, Bolton did as he was told without question. Part of him thought it foolishness but then the call came and interrupted his fun and part of him wasn't the least bit mad about it.

Reagan Bolton was well over six foot and two hundred pounds, by far not a small man and was well trained in all forms of combat. He'd dressed and then strapped his pistol to at his side. His weapon of choice was a heavily modified Walther P38 AC42. He loved the long barrel and the power it had when shooting it. He was also fond of the time period this weapon was popular in as well.

Now, here he in the black of night, smelling the stench of dead bodies and human excrement again only to find that his men had been killed and the enemy had slipped away. They found several of the soldiers but they were in unmarked black outfits with untraceable weapons. Bolton doubted they'd appear in any searches as well.

The anger began to grow in him until he noticed something intriguing that caught his eye. He walked over to a body and bent down, drawing a green arrow from the man's chest.

Bolton grinned. "Arrows..." he stood up. "Prepare men for pursuit. I know the enemy."

* * *

Oliver moved through the shadows as silent as an animal, lethal as one as well. The soldier he was stalking didn't see him nor would he have a chance to. In one swift motion, Oliver came from nowhere and knocked him unconscious with a blow to the back of the head. He caught the man before he hit the ground and quietly dragged him off.

When the man awoke he found himself hanging upside down, dangling from a tree branch while Oliver and Roy stood below him on another. They had dragged him into the trees to quietly interrogate him. As soon as they noticed he was awake Oliver put an arrow to the man's Adam's apple and put a finger to his mouth.

"You're going to tell me everything you know," Oliver whispered dangerously.


	7. The General II

A.R.G.U.S Files: Santa Prisca

The General II

* * *

Oliver, Roy, Thea, Lowe and Question stood with the remaining soldiers looking at a map that was hanging on the wall. It detailed several key points as well as the exact location of why they were here.

"Your little trick probably earned you a few more hours at best but Bolton will just have his men sweep every village for miles," Question said bluntly.

"By sweep you mean...?" Thea asked, trailing off.

"If the mood is on him, yes he will kill the villagers." Question's emotionless voice bothered Thea but she didn't say anything. He was on their side and his information had proven valuable.

"Thank you for your help," Oliver told Question. "But I think we're going to investigate the information Bolton's man gave us." Oliver and Roy had arrived a few hours ago, later then expected but with updated news. News obtained from the capture and interrogation of an enemy soldier. He had told Oliver that Bolton had the other Americans hidden at his personal base not far from here. "From his reports it will be lightly guarded."

"Bolton is a confident bastard. Everyone on the island fears him. Nobody would dare an attack so it makes sense." Question rubbed his chin but agreed. "But what if he's wrong?"

Oliver raised an eyebrow but let his brain munch on the scenario. "Alright," he concurred. They had already fallen into one trap and took heavy losses. They would need Lowe and his men to fully complete the extraction and he couldn't risk walking them into another trap. Besides, he would be able to cover more ground and be more stealthy without them. "Bolton's personal haven is here, that's about two hours from where we are. If we hit that it'll keep him from coming here."

"Seems likely," Question agreed.

"Arsenal, Speedy, we're going to scout the Intel to see if it's legit. Lowe, you and your men hold the fort here and await further orders." Oliver gave quick and precise instructions. "And what about you?" he asked Question. The faceless man had unnerved him upon first sight but Oliver could tell it was a mask in minutes and relaxed.

"My mission is complete." Question stood up and put on an overcoat that was hanging in the corner. "My men will join you and help in any way they can." Question put a hat on his head then walked out of the door without another word.

"Lyla, how's he getting off the island?" Oliver asked over comm.

"I have no idea." Oliver stared at where the Question had just been, thinking about the mysterious man and just what his deal was.

Lowe walked up to him asking, "Can I speak with you for a moment?"

"Sure. Everything OK?" Oliver replied, coming back to reality from his thoughts.

"The men and I feel one of us should accompany you on the recon," Lowe said frankly.

"And you've been elected?" Oliver grinned.

Lowe returned the grin, "Seems so. We're highly trained black ops soldiers. Sneaking and stealth is nothing new to us."

"It's a lot more then sneaking and being stealthy."

Lowe raised an eyebrow.

Oliver smiled a little and folded his arms. He really didn't want any of the soldiers with them but they had followed him blindly without question so far. He couldn't afford to possibly lose their trust and loyalty this late in the game. "Alright, but have your men prepped and secure somewhere."

"Thank you." Lowe turned around and walked away seeming satisfied.

"You think that was a good idea?" Thea questioned.

"I'm not sure but it's done now." Oliver silenced the matter. "Let's get going. We've still got to find Dig, free him and make evac in time."

Roy snorted. "You almost make it sound possible," he joked.

* * *

Oliver crouched low as he could in the tree he was perched in and peered down at the place where his Intel had led him. Bolton's soldier he and Roy had questioned had nearly pissed his pants when interrogated and gave up all the information he could. Explicit detail about who, what, when, where and how much to Oliver's pleasure. They knocked the soldier out and lowered him down so he'd be found by his comrades come morning then returned to share their new information.

The soldiers Intel checked out clean so far. Few but heavily armed guards on lazy patrols around a dimly lit outpost of some kind. Question had it right, Bolton was comfortable in his power. Oliver suspected that word of another arrival on the island had reached the General by now and even still the man was okay with lackluster security of important targets.

Oliver wouldn't complain though, it just made his job easier and that was a rarity in his line of work. "Speedy, Arsenal, Lowe. Status report," Oliver called over the comm.

"I make two charlies on the roof and two on the ground. Surrounding jungle is clear," Lowe reported quickly in a hushed whisper.

"Like you said earlier, guys basically got a skeleton crew guarding the place," Speedy sounded enthusiastic about the prospect of an easy, in-and-out job.

"Maybe Dig took out more men then we thought. Then we came and put another dent in the forces," Roy offered an explanation for the light security detail.

Oliver was silent for a moment, "Doesn't matter. Move in, take down the guards and stay out of sight. We play this right and Dig will be home in twenty-four hours." After that he leapt from his perch and landed as quietly as a lion on the hunt.

It took Oliver all of two minutes to close the distance between the outpost and his perch he'd been hiding in. He blended with the darkness like a shadow, as silent as a predator and as deadly.

Oliver fired a grapple arrow and hauled himself over the wall and onto the roof of the outpost. He heard movement and notched an arrow. Two seconds passed and he released catching the guard in the chest as soon as he came around the corner. The man didn't even have time to see anything in the shadows before he was hit.

"One down," Oliver reported.

"Second one's down too." It was Lowe who took him down and Oliver didn't feel bad about bringing him anymore.

"Lowe, you're on guard. Secure our exit and watch for reinforcements. We won't make it out of here without the roof being clear. Speedy, Arsenal you've both got the second floor entrance and keep your comms open. I'll take the ground floor." Oliver quickly dished out orders and then used an arrow to pop open a window and climbed inside. On the roof, Thea and Roy both entered through separate entrances and Lowe crouched down into a shadowy corner, rifle ready while he surveyed everything.

The halls were eerily quiet and majority of the lights were off as well, blown out or dead long ago. Some even flickered as if they hadn't been used in a long time and resisted the power activating them. Oliver made note of every detail as he tiptoed through the strangely dusty halls, checking every room he could and listening for the screams of people being tortured of footsteps of incoming guards.

But he found nothing.

He reached the end of the hall and opened the large double doors to find a large empty room that looked as if it hadn't been used in years. He walked inside looked around a bit before reaching out to his team, "It doesn't look like anything's gone on in here for years." Oliver told them. "What have you guys got?"

"A lot of dust and empty rooms." Roy grumbled.

"Same here. The entire place is empty," Thea confirmed.

"But that doesn't make any sense." Oliver turned in a circle and cursed.

"Oh, it makes perfect sense! Green Arrow!" a loud voice called out over a loudspeaker system of some kind. The lights suddenly came on in the entire building, bright and white and blinding. Oliver covered his eyes for a second but his eyes quickly adjusted. Then he saw that he was surrounded.

It was a trap. "General Bolton..." Oliver was really growing to hate this man.

Laughter came from the loud speakers and echoed all around the large empty room Oliver was standing in. "Imagine my surprise when I came to find my men had been killed by arrows. Green arrows at that!" Bolton's voice was filled with pleasure and Oliver could tell he was relishing in the success of his trap. "I've heard of your work. Good stuff for the first couple of years but then you got all high and mighty and stopped killing. I figured you'd try to capture one of my men for questioning, it follows your M.O in Star City. So I took the liberty of setting them all up with a story that would lead you here."

Oliver cursed, he should have trusted his first impression when they had arrived here. It was too quiet, too convenient and too easy. Much too easy. He stood silently, eyeballing the soldiers that had poured into the room. They weren't armed with guns so Oliver knew one thing; Bolton wanted to play with them.

"Arsenal. Speedy..." he whispered.

"Got incoming."

"I'm surrounded too."

"You know what to do," Oliver replied and swiftly fired off a smoke arrow into the ground in front of him. The thick cloud swiftly blinded all in the room and Oliver began moving through like a hurricane, breaking arms and legs of everyone he could reach. He had about thirty seconds before the smoke cleared to do as much damage to the group of men that General Bolton had sent to capture him.

* * *

Upstairs, Thea and Roy were both in the same situation as Oliver. Thea ducked underneath a right hook then drove her bow into the man's groin and stabbed an arrow down into another foot before catching him with a vicious uppercut that crumbled the man. She cartwheeled, released another two arrows, then landed and caught a punch from another man.

While holding the man's wrist she twisted, snapping it and kicked another in the throat at the same time. More soldiers began coming into the room and she rushed at them without hesitation. The first man got wrapped in a leg scissor and had his arm broken in a heartbeat while his shocked comrades hesitated for a brief moment.

All the time Thea needed.

The second and third were down with arrows in the chests while the next got a broken jaw and fractured cheekbone from two well placed kicks from Thea. She began attacking the men with the ruthless efficiency honed into her by her father, Malcolm Merlyn. Thea would never admit it but she, like Oliver, found a sort of poetic release in the simplicity of fighting for your life. A person knew their goal, knew what they had to do and that was the mission they were to focus on. Life or death pushed a person beyond limits they'd mentally set for themselves and into the realm of impossible.

Thea had discovered this when she'd slowly began to transform from the weak and helpless rich girl into the vigilante she was today. All under the tutelage of her psychotic father. A psychotic father who had been one of the few people to best her brother in combat. The first time Oliver had crossed paths with Malcolm Merlyn, then known only as the Dark Archer, Oliver had to nearly kill himself to win.

Thea's training had clearly not been a waste of time as she was systematically tearing through the men, Bolton had sent. One by one and even two by two, she snapped bones, shot arrows and cracked skulls until the last man facing her was down and she was gasping for breath and drenched in sweat.

Roy ducked and weaved between two men and knocked the third out cold. The two turned to engage but both got arrows in the legs for their efforts and went down screaming. Roy caught a leg, stomped on the ankle then flung the man down adding his voice to the painful screams in the room.

It wasn't until then that he noticed, Thea had cleared out everyone else. "Well damn. Leave some for me next time," he joked.

The door kicked open and a dozen more men began running into the room. "You just had to say something..." Thea groaned.

* * *

On the roof shadows moved beside, Lowe and he opened fire. Grunts let him know he hit his target and he moved to a better position realizing he was being surrounded. He continued to shoot, "Got charlies on the roof," Lowe quickly reported before dropping two more soldiers.

"I've always hated the term charlies."

Lowe turned around and tried to use his rifle as a bat to club his foe but, Bolton was too close and the rifle sailed over his head as he easily ducked it. Lowe saw Bolton smile as he drove his fists into Lowe's belly knocking the wind from his lungs.

Before, Lowe could react Bolton followed up with two vicious blows to the head that sent Lowe stumbling backward towards the edge of the roof top. Lowe had dropped his rifle but he was black ops and trained for this. He quickly regained his composure from the surprise shock and attacked catching Bolton once on the cheek and again in the face.

Bolton just smiled through the punishment, "This has really been a fun past few days." He didn't even seem to be talking to Lowe who angrily tried to attack again. Bolton countered and stung him with a chop to the throat then he grabbed Lowe by the shoulder and back of the shirt and tossed him over the edge of the roof. "Well fought, soldier," Bolton mocked.

* * *

The smoke had cleared and Oliver was now engaged by the remaining four men at once. And he was winning.

The four men tried to break through Oliver's defense but he skipped backwards, countering and deflecting then knocked out the first of them. The last three didn't hesitate, they feared what Bolton and Snowflame would do more then what this strange invader would.

Oliver took the three down in seconds with ease. Then, seeing the room was cleared he broke out into a jog back the way he'd come. "Arsenal! Speedy! You alright?!"

"On the move."

"Finishing them off."

"Regroup on the rooftop! Lowe, come in! Lowe!" Oliver cursed again.

"Your man on the roof met a very untimely end, Green Arrow." it was Bolton's voice again over the loudspeakers. The General laughed, "He put up a decent enough fight." then Oliver heard him say, "Send in the rest of the-" before the loudspeaker cut off.

He didn't need Supergirl or Martian Manhunter's powers to know that more soldiers were pouring into the outpost. Oliver quickly assessed the situation he was in and took in his surroundings. He heard voices and footsteps coming from the hallway where he was heading. Without thinking he shot two arrows, one into each corner then turned and ran. The soldiers opened fire at him just as he turned the corner and like he thought they pursued.

Oliver pressed a button on his bow setting off the charges in the two arrows he'd planted and the hallway exploded.

* * *

Roy's body ached and his head rang out from being struck so many times. Thea stood beside him, bent over and gripping her knees while sucking in large breaths. They'd finished off the final man and were gathering themselves before moving to the roof. The floor of the room they were in was littered with unconscious bodies as well as with those of screaming victims who were in pain from broken body parts.

"Get to the roof..." Thea managed to say. "...I'll catch up...help Lowe..."

"I'm afraid your friend is far beyond any help you both could provide," General Bolton said from the doorway with four men with him. "Finish them," he ordered.

Roy and Thea quickly took the four of them down with four arrows and then took aim at Bolton. The General opened fire with his handgun scattering the two young archers while barely dodging their arrows. Both groups took cover and Bolton shot off several more rounds while Roy sent arrows singing past his head.

Finally the bullets stopped and so did the arrows. "All out I assume?" Bolton's voice had too much happiness in it for Roy to stomach.

"Let's finish this guy, Thea." He said to her.

She looked at him and nodded once. "Let's do it."

Both of them sprang from cover and attacked. Roy shot off his last arrow to Bolton's left, forcing him to dodge right. Thea was on him in a flash kicking him hard in the chest pushing him roughly back into the wall. Bolton grunted but shocked them both when he caught, Thea's follow-up kick and drove her to the ground with a thunderous blow.

"No!" Roy traversed the space between them in two steps and attacked. He and Bolton exchanged blows for a few seconds before it became clear who was the better fighter.

Bolton dodged and caught Roy once, then twice and the third blow rocked his chin so hard Roy fell backwards onto his back. Both Roy and Thea were dazed and down but they could hear, Bolton laughing and reloaded his pistol.

"The soldier put up a better fight," they heard him say.

They heard the pistol cock and Roy silently prepared himself for death but it never came. Oliver shot an arrow into Bolton's pistol, knock it from his hand and then sprang into the fight. He attacked the surprised Bolton with a flurry of punches that pushed the General back several steps. Oliver then spun around and kicked Bolton across the head knocking him down.

"Arsenal! Speedy! Get to the roof! Now!" He shouted before feeling Bolton's fist press itself into his temple.

"Gonna' take more then that to take me down Green Arrow!" Bolton roared as he punched Oliver in the stomach twice. Now the fight was back on and Oliver reacted with a swift gut kick that brought him a few seconds of reprieve from the General's assault.

"None of you are going anywhere! Kill them!"

More men began to enter the door but these men had rifles trained on the three vigilantes. Oliver was the only one with arrows left and all three of them stared death in the face as Bolton grinned and folded his arms behind his back.

The roof exploded inward.

"Look out!" Someone shouted and Oliver, Thea and Roy took cover just as the roof above Bolton and his men crumbled down onto them. Dust filled the air and choked all inside the room while moonlight poured in from the hole in the roof. "Let's go!" the voice shouted at Team Arrow.

It was Lowe.

Oliver silently thanked God that he'd agreed to bring the soldier along. The dust was beginning to settle and Oliver heard Bolton shout to his men,"Fire! Kill anything that moves!" The A.R.G.U.S soldier didn't hesitate and began shooting from the hole in the roof, forcing Bolton's men to scatter and providing cover fire.

"Come on!" Oliver shot an arrow up into the hole and they began climbing up the rope and got onto the roof. Once on the roof he saw that Lowe was bleeding and looked badly injured.

"Bolton threw me off the roof." Lowe must have known Oliver was wondering what was happening.

"We'll talk about it later." Oliver and the team rushed to the edge of the roof facing the jungle then he shot another arrow with a line attached. He secured one end to the roof and then one by one they used their bows and rifle too slide across the rope, vanishing into the jungle.

* * *

Lyla and Felicity had been listening to the entire exchange through the comm they had set up with the entire team sent to rescue Diggle. Not being able to see anything but hearing all the conversation and exchanges made the situation seem a thousand times worse for them. It was absolute torture hearing, Bolton taunt them over the loudspeaker or hearing them talk of being surrounded and outgunned.

Lyla wondered many times had she sent her friends to die on a mission to save her foolish husband? She dared not even voice such thoughts at a pivotal time like this. She and Felicity didn't even speak to the others over the comm while they listened on the edge of their seats.

Fear got the best of them a few times and they had to wipe tears of worry from their eyes. It wasn't until what felt like hours later that they got news that allowed them to finally calm down.

"We made it out," Oliver told them. "We're in the jungle now on our way to regroup at base."

"What happened out there?" Lyla asked.

"Bolton laid a trap and I fell right into it." Oliver admitted. "I was too eager to save John and I wasn't thinking clearly. He took advantage of that but we made it out OK with no losses." the no losses part made Lyla's heart sing. She was dreading having to inform the families of the men who died when her team first landed on Santa Prisca. That was the part of the job she hated the most. It was a secret fear of hers that one day Oliver or someone else would be at her door telling her that John didn't make it.

"Alright. Radio silence until you guys are safe and fixed up." Lyla said and then Felicity cut the comm. Lyla didn't say anything but the expression on her face told Felicity all she needed to know.

"This isn't your fault, Lyla. Not you or John's fault." Felicity went over to her. "This is all on Waller. Every bit of it. She's the cause of all of this."

"It's nice to know how you really feel about me, Miss Smoak." Lyla's heart dropped and she closed her eyes, cursing silently. Amanda Waller walked into Oliver's secret lair with the usual smug look and air about her.

"How did you get in here?!" Felicity demanded, taking a step or two back. "If Oliver were here-

"He'd aim an arrow at me and threaten my life in the deepest, grungiest voice he could muster." Waller cut her off. "But he isn't here is he?" She looked at both of them. "Because he's on Santa Prisca with a team of my best men without my orders."

"Waller I-"

Lyla started to say something but Waller cut her off with a wave. "I'm not upset. I knew you'd do this from the moment I selected your husband for this mission." Felicity and Lyla both looked shocked and this pleased Waller even more. "I'm not upset at all. Here at A.R.G.U.S we reward initiative, Mrs. Diggle and you have shown much of it."

"What are you saying?" Lyla raised an eyebrow.

"I'm saying that I'm here to help," Waller replied with a smile.

* * *

The screams had been going on now for so long that the guards here were used to the sound. It didn't bother anyone when they heard the sounds of Bolton or Snowflame torturing their latest victim or victims. That's what this facility was for after all. Only the most hardened and murderous of Snowflame's army were allowed to be stationed here. This was not a place for the weak of heart.

General Bolton walked quietly through the cracked and broken hallways. There was no need to maintain a sense of beauty on Santa Prisca, no laws were here but those placed by the one in charge. This was a prison, one of the worst in the world and the decaying look only added to the ambiance.

Or at least that's how Snowflame described it.

Bolton walked towards a set of double doors being guarded by two soldiers. The two men saluted him and one opened to door for him then the General proceeded down the metal stairs. His footsteps echoed louder with each step he took down.

The screams had paused for a second but now they started again.

Bolton walked to the final set of double doors and pushed them aside entering a well lit room that had four soldiers standing in it, each of which looked as if they had seen their fair share of nightmares. Inside the room were all sorts of tools of torture from machines to instruments, anything one could think of was in this room including a high pressure water hose.

Chained to the wall by their hands in a line to Bolton's left were the members of the Suicide Squad. Helena Bertinelli, Mark Scheffer, Digger Harkness, Floyd Lawton, Ben Turner, and their leader, John Diggle. All of them were in their underwear and drenched from sweat and water that they'd been sprayed with.

In the middle of the room stood Snowflame, beside him was Rick Flagg covered in fresh wounds from being tortured. "This one just refuses to talk," Snowflame said absently. On a table beside him was a large pile of snow white cocaine. Bolton turned his nose up at the cocaine but said nothing. When Snowflame noticed Bolton he smiled, "How did it go?"

"I've confirmed that it's the Green Arrow and his team of vigilantes from Star City..." Bolton informed him and this made Diggle look up weakly. "...but they escaped capture unfortunately." this made Diggle grin a little.

"No matter." Snowflame dismissed the bad news. "They, like these men, don't realize just how fucked they are. They're trapped on my island. It's only a matter of time before we get them."

"True," Bolton replied.

Snowflame picked up a blowtorch and walked over to the cocaine. "My God will deliver them to my hands." He stuck his face into the pile and inhaled deeply. When he stood up again his eyes were bloodshot red and his smile threatened to rip his face apart. "Now then..." he activated the blowtorch and faced Rick Flagg. "...back to work."

Diggle's grin faded and his head fell again as the screaming started anew.


	8. The General III

A.R.G.U.S. Files: Santa Prisca

The General III

* * *

Battered, bloody and beaten, Oliver led Thea, Roy and Lowe back to their safe-house where they'd met Question. Since Bolton had been concentrating on trapping them his forces hadn't been sweeping the villages like Question had suggested and so they were still relatively safe for the time being. Once inside everyone but Oliver collapsed onto the floor to rest.

Once they'd escaped and were sure no pursuit was after them they'd established radio contact with the remaining soldiers in Lowe's outfit and updated them on everything. They had been in a state of high alert ever since. Question's men had joined their own giving them a total of twelve men altogether, not including themselves and Lowe.

Lowe's second-in-command had taken the liberty of placing men on guard and patrolling around the small village borders to provide early warnings of any enemy arrivals. They couldn't afford to be caught on their backs like Diggle and the others had been earlier, especially after losing so many of their men in the initial landing trap that Bolton had laid out.

Oliver was really beginning to hate that man. He paced for a few moments then opened up comm. with his friends back in Star City. "We aren't going to make the extraction window at this point, Lyla," Oliver said, feeling a little annoyed about having fallen prey to the trap.

"The timeline has changed, Green Arrow," Lyla responded.

"What do you mean?" Oliver asked curiously.

"She means that I'm stepping in now, Mr. Queen and things have changed."

"Waller." Oliver immediately recognized the voice.

"I've decided that this mission is too important to leave to just a single Task Force X squad or your team of vigilantes," Waller said.

"You mean your hand has been revealed so it doesn't matter what happens now?" Oliver surmised.

Waller scoffed. "Mr. Queen, my hand is never truly revealed." Oliver didn't doubt her words for a minute. "You and your team rest and resupply. I've got reinforcements inbound within 24 hours and your friend Miss Smoak here is using A.R.G.U.S satellites to pinpoint exactly where they've taken Mr. Diggle and his team."

"What can you tell me about Bolton?" Oliver asked, seemingly ignoring the good news just given.

"Nothing much other then what you already know." Waller didn't sound happy about not having information on someone.

"He's good. Almost too good." Oliver continued. "He was able to take down Lowe, Arsenal and Speedy in hand to hand and hold his own with me."

"Let's not forget so far he's been quite effective in his counter strategies against the A.R.G.U.S forces on ground." Lyla added.

"We've got to be careful with him," Waller admitted. "An unknown enemy is a dangerous one."

"Agreed." Oliver said.

"But he isn't the priority, Mr. Queen. He's Snowflame's second-in-command and that means-

"I'm not on this island to carry out any missions for you, Waller. I'm here to save my friend and that's it," Oliver cut off Waller, quickly laying down the law.

"Of course," was Waller's cold reply.

"Good." Oliver knew she was upset and plotting. "Now let's talk about our plan of attack."

* * *

The room was dark except for a single light that hung overhead. John Diggle was strapped with his hands tied up and his feet bound directly under that light. He didn't know how long he'd been here or how long they'd been held captive now. He wasn't sure which of his teammates were alive nor did he know their current location. Everyone in the Suicide Squad knew that if their heads hadn't been blown up yet, Amanda Waller was giving them a chance. The moment they said anything they'd die so nobody said a single thing.

Snowflame had continued to torture them despite this fact. One by one, over and over, while the others watched from their space on the wall. They hadn't been fed or even allowed to use the restroom and so, after many hours, one by one they began to shit and piss themselves, taking away whatever little dignity they had left.

Diggle had dealt with some mad men before but Snowflame took the cake. He was in love with cocaine to the point of worshiping it and referring to it as his God. Snowflame went on long and ridiculous rants about how he was the divine messenger of cocaine sent to bring its blessing to the world. Somehow when he was sniffing the drugs Diggle observed that Snowflame indeed did get enhanced strength. Amanda Waller's Intel had been right that the drug lord had abilities but wrong in that he wasn't a meta-human.

Diggle had agonized and tore himself apart for being helpless to save Cutter and to stop this from happening to people he'd fought and shed blood with. Even if they were criminals they had it where it counted and Diggle had made them a promise. A promise that he had come to realize he wouldn't be able to fulfill.

Snowflame was tireless and ruthless, inflicting the utmost pain while being skilled enough to know how to keep them alive. Diggle had never experienced anything like it and had tried to zone out as he had been taught in the military. But eventually he was broken and began to give up though he didn't talk, none of them did. They had simply resigned to their fate and accepted death was coming for them.

'Sorry, Lyla...Sarah...' he remembered thinking.

Then Bolton mentioned Oliver was on the island and that he had escaped his trap. That had secretly given Diggle the hope he so desperately needed. He didn't know when or how but he knew that Oliver would rescue him. He and his men had seen the worst of this island and survived so far. Oliver would come and then they would take this place apart. This was it, all it would take now was patience and there was no way things could get worse.

Then Snowflame left them under the care of General Bolton.

One by one Diggle watched his beaten and bloody comrades dragged from the room without care for wounds or internal injuries. Bolton stood there the entire time, arms folded behind his back with a look of pleasure and an air of bravado about himself.

Diggle absolutely hated the man.

Bolton transferred them all to his real personal base, Diggle overhearing that the General had spread rumor to trap Oliver by making him think he was going to Bolton's personal base. The trap had failed but now Diggle knew what was happening. Bolton was making a final stand and truly forcing Oliver into a tight spot. If they wanted Diggle and the others they would have to somehow get into one of the toughest places on the entire island.

The Intel had shown Snowflame's personal space to be a lavish and plush mansion with gardens and ponds. There was much beauty to be seen, with armed guards patrolling always of course. General Bolton's personal base was nothing of the sort.

It was a fortress.

Soldiers practiced in the yard while some ran drills and others did training courses. Guards were stationed high inside towers, four altogether with one in each corner. There had been a gate big as a two lane street that allowed troops and supplies in. Regular patrols of at least six heavily armed men stormed around the outsides and insides while men were stationed on the roofs as well.

Bolton's personal fortress was comprised of four towers, several large buildings that housed his troops, vehicles and other things Diggle hadn't got to see while pretending to be unconscious. All that he had seen made him fearful of what he hadn't. Could Oliver and the others make it through all of this? Was he even worth the risk?

A doorway at the far end of the room opened letting in a rush of bright light. It momentarily blinded Diggle but he could hear the footsteps coming towards him.

"Finally awake, my friend?" It was General Bolton. "Good. Good. I've wanted to talk to you for quite some time."

Diggle heard the sound of a chair being dragged and it stopped in front of him. His vision slowly returned and then he gazed at a man he barely knew but hated so much. Bolton had a smug look on his face that was tempered with patience and power. In his hand he had a folder but Diggle didn't know what the contents were.

"I've been trying to figure out what would draw the Star City vigilantes all the way out here for days now," Bolton said. "Up until now all these freaks have been content to guard their proclaimed portions of land up until the incident where they formed the League in Star City." Bolton opened the file and in it Diggle saw several pictures of Oliver, Thea, Roy and himself all in their vigilante costumes.

Bolton flung the photos onto the ground one by one at Diggle's feet. "Now I suspect that you're the one in the helmet right there." Bolton pointed at Diggle in his Spartan helmet. "My men reported hearing several names being called during our numerous firefights and Spartan was one of them. This name also comes up on the list of known associates for Green Arrow. You see what I'm getting at here?"

Diggle remained silent and tempered his fear and rage. If this man knew his identity then his wife and daughter were in danger. At that moment, Diggle made the choice to kill Bolton if he got the chance.

"Now that I know who you are I've got to wonder what on earth would bring you here with the lot you're leading and a military man like Flagg." Bolton chewed his words and it made more fear seep into Diggle. 'How much did Bolton know?' Diggle wondered to himself. "Can't quite put that one together yet but I'm sure after we have a little chat I'll have the whole story."

Diggle relaxed knowing Bolton didn't have the full truth."You're a talented man, Mr. Spartan. May I call you Spartan?" Bolton didn't wait for a reply. "You see, Spartan, this isn't my only...job, I'd say. I'm employed all over the world and I could use a man like you. How much are they paying you? Whatever you want is yours. I or my employers can provide any and everything you could want or need."

"Employers? You mean that cokehead idiot Snowflame?" Diggle mocked and spat on Bolton's shoe.

Bolton stood up and drove his fist deep into Diggle's stomach pushing all the air from his body. "And here I thought we were having a civilized conversation."

Diggle coughed. "You're...you're an animal. No way to be civilized with an animal."

Bolton punched him twice in the face making Diggle see bright colors and sparkles. "You have no idea what's going on here little man." Diggle hung limply in his bonds and heard Bolton sit back down. "This is Santa Prisca, Spartan. This isn't Star or National or Central City where some masked weirdo comes to the rescue every week!" Bolton laughed. "This is a place where only the strong survive. Where there are neither laws nor some self-righteous politician locking you up for what he makes millions to do in the shadows."

Diggle hated that he had to listen to this man talk. "You thought you could come in here and what? Spread a little good ol' American freedom to the locals? Kill Snowflame and provide democracy where drug fueled dictatorship failed?" Bolton slapped Diggle. "News flash, Spartan! Those laws you abide by in America are made by some drug and alcohol fueled politicians who probably profit off the business Santa Prisca provides." Bolton laughed.

"You're...insane..." Diggle mumbled.

"Insane? No if anything you and your lot of masked friends are the insane ones. I'm just a man who sees the world for what it is and decided he wouldn't be a victim." Bolton's reply was smug. "Power is the only thing that provides true safety and security. Money and power, Spartan. Remember that."

Diggle's senses returned and he watched Bolton drag the chair back across the room. "A shame you didn't take me up on my offer," Bolton mused. "Now I'll have to kill you after the questioning and see if somebody else on your team is more open to the suggestion."

Diggle scoffed. "Not likely."

"Oh?" Bolton feigned shock. "And why is that? I've come across my fair share of criminals and they rarely turn away from a nice briefcase of money."

Diggle laughed, thinking about the bombs that each member of Task Force X had in their heads. "Like I said good luck-"

There was a sudden sound of a distant explosion and then the floor shook a little. Bolton looked up then towards the door where a soldier was running in.

"General! We're under attack!"

"Attack?! By who?!" Bolton demanded.

"Unsure but they hit us hard out of nowhere. Highly trained, well-prepared and in heavy force."

Bolton glared at Diggle with anger burning in his eyes. This had not been what Bolton had expected or planned for. He had thought Green Arrow would attempt to infiltrate the base and that would play right into his plan to overwhelm and eliminate the Star City vigilantes. How had they mounted such a force? How did they get here so quickly?

Never mind now wasn't the time for those thoughts Bolton realized. He had to take action now or everything would fall to confusion. He could still turn this around. "Set a squad of men to guard the prisoners. Six men watch him..." Bolton pointed at Diggle. "...and have another squad meet me at my office."

The soldier saluted then ran from the room. Bolton went to follow him and before closing the door he looked at Diggle and smiled, "Let the games begin."

* * *

Oliver, Thea, Roy and the twelve remaining soldiers they had with them were crouched low in the branches of tall trees, eyeballing the fortress Felicity had identified as where Diggle was being held. With them were two large pressure-powered guns that would shoot grapple lines from the trees to the fortress allowing them silent entry.

They were waiting at the back of the fortress for Lowe to engage Bolton and his forces from the front. The plan was that Lowe would lead the frontal assault as a distraction while Oliver led in the rescue team to extract Diggle and anyone else they could find alive. Waller had commented on taking Bolton out as well if the chance arrived and even though Oliver hadn't verbally agreed to it he knew it would be the best course of action.

Waller had sent in enough men that Lowe and his forces would be more than enough to provide them with ample time and opportunity within Bolton's base. With Bolton and Snowflame distracted security had been lax and the A.R.G.U.S troops and supplies had come without any hassle, landing late in the night and ready by morning.

"Once we're inside I want you two to take six men and capture the guard tower. Clear out everyone and then hold that position as long as possible. It's our escape route until something better comes up," Oliver whispered.

"What about you?" his sister asked.

"I'm taking the other six and we're heading for the lower levels to find Dig and the others," Oliver replied.

"I don't like it," Roy immediately said.

"We don't have a choice. Bolton is somewhere in there and the facility is heavily guarded. We have to leave a team to watch our escape and they can't do it alone. I trust you two to work together and make it happen." Oliver's voice told them how desperate the situation was in his mind and in truth how desperate it was in reality.

Waller had sent reinforcements for them but they had no idea how many men Bolton had with him or if Snowflame would arrive with reinforcements for his General. Waller had showed her hand now and Oliver knew that meant one thing above all else, the A.R.G.U.S soldiers had been given the no survivors order. Everyone would be killed to keep as few people talking as possible. Waller's way of controlling the situation was to make sure nobody involved was alive to talk.

"I understand," Thea told her brother. She looked at her ex and they nodded at each other, then he went and began telling the A.R.G.U.S men with them the plan. Thea watched him and her mind started to drift to thoughts of when they were together and intimate. A strange time for such thoughts, even more so because she'd been on a conversational basis with Winn ever since they'd met during the Legion incident. Few people knew that of course and Roy was not among them. It wasn't serious yet so why bring it up?

"Thea? Did you hear me?"

She blinked several times and stared at her brother. "What?" She'd been so zoned out she hadn't heard anything at all.

"I said keep your head in the game. This isn't the time for distractions." Oliver turned his gaze back to the fortress waiting for the attack to start and them to get the signal.

It didn't take long.

Rapid gunfire and shouting came first then the alarm in the fortress went off and more shouting and gunfire could be heard. Oliver and the others started prepping their grapples and weapons but still waited.

In the night, a burst of fire being trailed by smoke could be seen sailing up towards one of the guard towers. It struck it and lit up the night with a brilliant explosion of bright orange and red completely destroying the guard tower.

"There's the signal." Oliver shouldered the gun and aimed briefly before firing the line that snapped perfectly. He handed the gun backwards and they secured it in a tree branch while Oliver shot off the second line. "You have your orders. Stay low and watch each other's backs," Oliver told everyone then he started sliding across the line.

* * *

The shaking of the building caused some dust to fall from the roof and across the face of Digger Harkness. He sneezed and regained consciousness, immediately being assaulted by a massive headache. In the room with him were the remaining members of the Suicide Squad. He looked around but didn't see Spartan and then he heard the sound of numerous footsteps, an explosion and the building shook a little more.

He was chained to a wall like the rest of his team and had no ability to move. The room they were in was cold and windowless with very little light.

"Hey! Hey! You bunch of pansies wake up!" Digger shout whispered. He spat on Flagg's face. "Wake the hell up!"

Flagg stirred and angrily growled, "What the hell is going on?"

"They moved us looks like," Harkness informed him. "Sounds like there's a fight going on upstairs."

The others started waking up as well. "Where's Spartan?" Flagg asked.

"Don't know. Must have moved him."

"We've got to find a way-"

"Ssh! someone's coming!"

The door opened and in came two armed soldiers with a third in tow. The Task Force X members all faked being unconscious still and the soldiers didn't notice.

"...don't know who they are but they're hitting us hard..." one of the soldiers said.

"Yeah, Bolton's sent most the men to the front just to hold them off," another added.

"Only an idiot would try to break into this place."

"Lucky we got chosen for guard duty, huh?"

The soldiers laughed. "Give me the key. The quicker we move these sacks of shit the quicker this'll all be over."

Keys were exchanged and the guard went and began unlocking Harkness bonds. Harkness fell limply to the floor. "Dammit, Kegan! You know the dumb fucks are still knocked out!" one of the soldiers shouted.

"Not as much as you'd think." Harkness drove his elbow into the first soldier's groin completely crumbling the man. He quickly snatched the man's sidearm and unloaded into the remaining soldiers killing them.

"Great work, Boomerang," Flagg commented as Harkness began unlocking the bonds of the rest of the team. "Is everybody alright?"

They were starved, beaten and tortured but most of them had been through that and worse before. Plus they all had the drive to live. Flagg, Harkness and Turner picked up the guards weapons and they moved silently towards the door. The hallway outside was light with traffic and the fighting going on had caused nobody to take notice of the gunshots.

"Alright, here's the plan. We arm ourselves, find our gear and get the hell out of here," Flagg instructed.

"What about Spartan?" Helena Bertinelli asked.

"We've got no comm., no backup coming and no idea where he is. We've got to assume he's dead and get out before this mission goes even more to shit," Flagg told the team. "Turner, on my mark open the door. Harkness you're out with me."

The three men prepared and Flagg gave the signal. As one he and Harkness pushed into the hallway, one facing left and the other right. Immediately they opened fire catching the men in the hallway by surprise and killing them off quickly.

"Clear," Flagg said and the others came out and began arming themselves with the dead men's weaponry.

Lawton smiled as he checked the rifle and made sure it was loaded. "Been too long without one of these in my hand," he mused to nobody in particular.

"Be quick!" Flagg half shouted half whispered. "We've got to fight our way out of this basement and up top. We find transport and we get out as soon as possible. Got it?"

"Ah, Flagg..." Scheffer called to them from down the hall a little. "We aren't in a basement."

The team jogged to where Scheffer was and saw that there was a hole in the wall made by some of the recent attacks. They weren't locked away in a basement or dungeon. They'd been placed in one of the high towers of Bolton's fortress. Flagg looked out through the crack and could see a massive firefight going on below them.

He could see Bolton's men advancing and laying down heavy fire but being cut down and then he saw the soldiers in all black that were fighting against Bolton's forces. "It's A.R.G.U.S!" Flagg exclaimed. "By God, Waller sent us a fucking rescue!"

Flagg saw an RPG fire up from somewhere out beyond the fortress wall. It flew up and completely eradicated one of the guard towers near them. "Yeah!" Flagg began to shout and pump his fist.

The others began to scramble for a chance to see and felt renewed hope. "This changes everything. Our priority now isn't escape, its help our men and find Spartan, if he's alive. He wouldn't leave us behind." The team agreed with nods. "Bertinelli, Lawton, you're with me. We're taking down anything not A.R.G.U.S and searching for Spartan. Harkness, Turner and Scheffer kill everything and set charges anywhere that looks important. We're going to level this place like the others."

* * *

The battle was heated and heavy but the men pressed on. Bolton's forces had come at them even harder once the guard tower was destroyed and so far had prevented the destruction of the second. The A.R.G.U.S soldiers were some of the best on the planet and fought with ruthless precision and an almost bloodthirsty drive. Bolton's soldiers were numerous but many were nothing more than villagers that had been conscripted into the madman's army and given a rifle.

"I want charges on that second tower dammit!" Lowe pointed and shouted. "Have a squad cover a demolitions team and get it done! Those snipers are killing us!" Lowe pointed and shot up at the tower as he had instructed his men to do in hopes that it would maybe kill someone and hopefully force the men in the towers to stop shooting and take cover.

Lowe could see more enemy soldiers coming and they were starting to form a line from the vehicles they had stored inside the base. Some of the vehicles had heavy machine guns strapped to the back and in a few minutes he knew the situation would get critical. There was no way his men could take the line if it was defended by the machine guns and the guard tower. One of them had to go now.

He could see soldiers running with ammunition towards the machine guns. "Snipers! Focus on those machine gunners! Now!" Lowe ordered before turning to a man next to him. "Grab a squad and follow me! Bring grenades! We're taking out those vehicles and pushing forward!"

Bullets buzzed by their heads and pinged off the metals of the vehicles around them but everyone there stood their ground and fought like animals. They knew that Waller didn't tolerate cowardice and that she was most likely watching everything transpire. She'd given the scorched earth order on a A.R.G.U.S channel that Green Arrow and his team didn't have access to, letting them know to kill everything.

Lowe reloaded his rifle and checked the men gathered behind him before shouting, "With me!" and coming from out of cover.

The firefight was even more intense but they all held their wits about them and formed up around Lowe, letting off bursts of suppression fire at anyone looking their way. The other A.R.G.U.S soldiers around them provided plenty of cover fire and they were able to dash close enough within moments.

"Grenades!" Lowe slid to the ground and reached back without looking. One of the soldiers he was with handed him a grenade and he quickly pulled the pin and tossed it then repeated the process two more times.

One by one the grenades exploded sending Bolton's front line up in flames. The bullets and gasoline began going off causing the remaining line to crumble in fire and wreckage. Lowe stood up and began to shoot down the retreating enemy forces as best he could but the guard tower above them still provided too much return fire and forced the A.R.G.U.S soldiers to remain at their line, unable to capitalize on the momentary victory Lowe had gained them.

* * *

Harkness peered around the corner then quickly ducked back, "A lot of soldiers that way." he said nervously.

Turner took a look and then came back. The soldiers were standing around likely a reserve unit awaiting orders. "We can take them."

Turner and Harkness moved as one on the unsuspecting soldiers and opened fully automatic fire onto their backs. It was an absolute slaughter.

"Look out!" Scheffer shouted.

Bolton's soldiers arrived in another vehicle and had weapons drawn about to open fire. Harkness and Turner turned to run just in time to see Scheffer standing with an RPG on his shoulder aimed directly at them. "Look out!" he repeated.

Both men dove to the side just as Scheffer pulled the trigger and stumbled. The soldiers sprang from the vehicle and took cover but the RPG sailed right over the vehicle, flew up in a stretching arch and then crashed into the second frontal guard tower blowing it to pieces.

Harkness and Turner both looked at Scheffer. "You stick to blowing shit up," Turner ran over and told Scheffer. Then the three of them took off running before Bolton's men could fully grasp what was happening. They ran into the nearest building and were immediately engaged in a quick firefight by another hidden batch of soldiers. They'd caught the men by surprise again being distracted by the second tower explosion and mowed them down easily before proceeding down a flight of stairs heading for the lower levels.

* * *

"General, most of the forces are concentrated at the main gate!"

Bolton kicked the door to his office open and stormed inside. "It's a diversion." He quickly assessed the situation. "There will be more men coming in through the rear. Send reinforcements to the two rear guard towers immediately and bring me my damn squad!"

Bolton went to the window and pushed it open. From there he had a perfect view of the battle happening at his gates. The enemy forces were bunched together and from this angle if he had an RPG he could turn the tide. His men were holding and he had a substantial amount of troops here just in case of this very situation. Eventually his forces would overwhelm the enemy and this battle would come to an end. He had placed guards on the prisoners and-

Something caught his eye that completely derailed his train of thought. It was three of the prisoners fighting down below. Bolton thought for a moment and then remembered their names, 'Shrapnel, Bronze Tiger and Captain Boomerang,' he reminded himself as he fumed at how they escaped. He glared at them as his men began to overrun them and then one of the prisoners fired off an RPG. It completely missed his target and blew up the second of his four guard towers.

Now he was pissed.

Bolton took one more look and watched them head down into the lower levels of the base then turned from the window. He took a large knife and some ammunition from his desk then checked his pistol and then stormed from the room.

* * *

Oliver led the men through the corridors like a surgical blade cutting down anything in their path in the search for Diggle and the others. They made their way deeper into the fortress often running into several pockets of Bolton's troops patrolling this area or that. Oliver had to admit, Bolton was efficient as there was no lack of guards on patrol. However, Oliver and his team had the better skill, experience and drive on their side that continuously led them to victory.

They maintained radio silence for the most part as they all had their missions and needed absolute concentration to accomplish them and remain safe.

As they moved through the next series of hallways they found that there was a staircase going down. They followed the staircase and ended up in a hallway that only had one door. Oliver signaled for two men to remain and watch the stairs while the rest fell in behind him and they proceeded down the hall.

At the door they paused and Oliver placed an ear to try and listen. Hearing nothing he stepped back and signaled them to breach the door. The two seconds it took for them to follow through with his order felt like a lifetime and he thought on how happy he would be if his friend, no his brother, was behind this door and they could escape. The door flew open and Oliver led the four soldiers inside.

"Snowflame...?" Oliver and the others drew down on him.

* * *

Thea, Roy and the six A.R.G.U.S soldiers with them had easily taken the lightly defended guard tower once they had separated from Oliver and the soldiers with him. When the alarm went up it brought most of the guards inside the tower outside and right into their waiting fists, arrows and bullets. From there it was a simple sweep of the tower and then it was theirs and the escape route was secure.

After that it had been momentarily quiet on their end but they could hear the nonstop sounds of battle going on all around them. Thea could see the restlessness on the soldiers faces and in their movements as they knew their brothers and sisters were down there fighting and sacrificing their lives to provide the necessary distraction for them.

That fact was not oblivious to Thea but she detached herself from it. Despite the fact that they hadn't had an encounter with any of Bolton's forces yet didn't mean they wouldn't and she didn't want to be caught sobbing about what had to be done but didn't feel right.

"We've got incoming!" One of the soldiers hoisted his assault rifle over the railing of the tower and opened fire down on the approaching squadron of Bolton's forces.

"Shit!" Thea swore and began shooting arrows.

Roy came up next to her. "If they get into the bottom floor we're screwed." Roy pointed out. "I'm gonna' take a few men and make sure that doesn't happen."

Thea thought for a moment but couldn't think of a good enough reason to tell Roy no. "Be careful," was all she could think of to say and Roy's face let her know he had wanted more.

Roy turned. "You three with me. We're going downstairs." The men followed without question leaving Thea and the remaining three soldiers to hold down the fort up top.

* * *

"Set charges over there while we handle over here." Harkness handed Scheffer several hastily made explosive devices for him to place on some of the foundation pillars they had come across down in the bowels of the fortress. Scheffer and Turner had figured that blowing up a few of these along with everything else they had set explosives on wouldn't hurt at all.

The level they were on had to be the lowest level of the base. There was a large underground water source of some kind that led off into a dark passageway, likely used for escape as a few boats were docked at the makeshift harbor. Above that ran numerous walkways constructed by Bolton and his men that gave them access to the numerous boilers and heaters that were kept down here. One good explosion would set the entire place off.

Scheffer silently took the explosives from Harkness and shuffled off to do his duty. He hoped that he would be far enough away to really enjoy the explosion from a distance once they set off the charges. He'd missed out on some good stuff having to do such quick and close demo work so far.

"I'm really tired of you all blowing up my things."

Scheffer froze and felt fear like never before. He turned around, already knowing who was behind him. General Bolton stood with his arms folded and for once he wasn't grinning.

* * *

Lowe had been cursing their luck to the heavens when out of nowhere he saw an RPG take out the guard tower from behind enemy lines. When that happened a cheer rang out from his men and then Lowe rose from cover shouting, "Advance!" before charging forward.

He led the charge, shooting down the fleeing enemy troops. Bolton's men were retreating now but they would soon regroup and return fire. His men needed to form a new defensive line quickly or risk being caught in the open and mowed down.

Lowe waited until many of them were well past the enemy gates and then he took cover behind one of their own vehicles. "Form up!" he ordered. "Say together!"

The A.R.G.U.S soldiers had fallen into the orders like an oiled machine and began spilling to the left and right of the entrance laying down heavy suppressing fire. In minutes they had taken the gate and everything in front of it before Bolton's men were rallied by their officers and started shooting back.

His men were now deep enough inside to begin spilling into the rest of the base and begin sweeps for enemy combatants. "Squads two and three sweep the west building. Squad one with me. All other squads cover our entry and then take and hold this courtyard."

Lowe looked around and was pleased to see that the battle was surprisingly going in their favor. When the plan had been formulated a silence had fallen when the time came to for someone to lead the frontal assault. All in the room knew it was a suicide mission.

So Lowe stepped up.

Green Arrow had thanked him and told him only to hold out as long as he could then retreat as the front gates would not be a viable escape option. Now looking at what was going on, if things continued to progress this way A.R.G.U.S would have control of the courtyard within the hour.

Lowe reloaded, paused and then everyone began their orders. He and his men shot bursts of suppressing fire while the soldiers staying behind unleashed on the enemy to ensure their men reached the doorways safely.

Lowe and the others with him were immediately met with resistance and forced to duck into the corners of the hall. A grenade was rolled down towards the enemy and in seconds the shooting stopped but the hallway was covered in blood and bodies.

"On me." Lowe led them forward through the muck without hesitation. As they approached the end of the hallway they heard the sounds of battle in front of them. He hugged the wall and his men did as well then they listened.

Rapid fire weaponry, screaming and shouting and then silence.

Footsteps began approaching them and Lowe gripped his weapon and prepared for another fight. "Hold..." he whispered.

The steps got closer and he began to hear voices and could make out the conversation.

"We've searched this entire building and haven't found him yet, Flagg."

"Or anybody that's willing to tell us."

Lowe came from around the corner with his hands up. "Rick Flagg?"

Rick Flagg, Helena Bertinelli and Floyd Lawton drew down on Lowe for a second and then recognition set in. "Dammit, Lowe we almost killed you."

Lowe laughed and the rest of his men came around the corner. "From the looks of all of you you're dying right now." He could see the bloody marks and bruises all over their bodies. "It's a wonder you're even up and moving."

"Yeah well, survival puts a certain fire in you." Lawton replied.

"We've got the front gate with men sweeping the buildings. Get to the gates and get out," Lowe told them.

"We can't leave. Three of our team are laying explosives and Spartan is still missing," Flagg said.

"Don't worry we'll handle all of that but our priority is getting everybody we can out. It's a miracle we have the gate and don't know for how long so get out while the going is good." Lowe put more authority in his voice and the three Suicide Squad members looked at each other, thanked the A.R.G.U.S soldiers and moved on.

"Don't forget your other priority," Amanda Waller said into Lowe's comm. "Killing General Bolton."

"Copy that, Mockingbird." Lowe replied to her and then motioned for him and his men to continue. He opened the comm. between the rest of the team on ground. "Team Arrow be advised; Deadshot, Flagg and Huntress are en route to extract at main gate. Friendly forces currently hold the gate. I repeat friendly forces have the gate." When no reply came he simply cut off the comm. and continued on.

Felicity, Lyla and Amanda Waller stood watching the scenes on multiple screens from cameras on her soldier's bodies. She used this to send instant updates to her field leaders and effectively control the tide of battle in almost any situation. At the moment she was wishing she could send reinforcements because the victory would surely be hers. As it stood now with Bolton's men beginning to rally she didn't have the numbers to press into the base and take it.

She would have to call the retreat or risk losing a platoon of A.R.G.U.S's best soldiers. The mission was worth it but this was just the beginning of it and if she wanted complete success all the pieces had to fall in place perfectly.

"I've found something!" Felicity shouted while pointing at the screen ecstatically.

"Calm down, Miss Smoak." Waller said while walking over to her.

"On their comm.! They just mentioned sending extra soldiers to guard a single prisoner!' Felicity was tapping the screen where they information had led her.

"That's got to be Johnny!" The worry was apparent in both Lyla's words and facial expression.

Waller opened the comm. with Lowe back up. "This is Mockingbird, be advised, Spartan has been located. Sending coordinates now."

"Copy that, Mockingbird. Coordinates received. Taking men to extract Spartan now." Lowe replied after a momentary pause.

* * *

Harkness glanced around while Turner placed the last of the explosive charges and stood up. "What do you thinks' taking Shrapnel so long?" he absently asked.

"Don't know but we're done here. Let's find him before more of Bolton's men find us." Turner replied uneasily.

"You've been found by much worse I'm afraid..." Bolton walked from the shadows with a body on his shoulder. He flung the body down roughly onto the ground. "...the man himself."

Harkness and Turner looked down in horror to see the second of their group lying dead at their feet. Shrapnel's face was so bloody and beaten it was hardly recognizable and his neck was twisted around into an unnatural position.

"We were just gonna' blow the place and run but I guess we'll have to add killing you to that list." Turner stretched his neck and glanced at Harkness who was readying himself as well.

"Bronze Tiger and...What do they call you?" Bolton grinned. "Ah yes, I believe it was Captain Boomerang. You both could have made tasted real money and power working for me."

"We don't have much choice in who we work for," Harkness grumbled.

"And who might that be?" Bolton inquired, slickly cocking his head in curiosity. He knew that some of the men they'd had problems with on the island were vigilantes from Star City but the others they were fighting had been trained soldiers. He suspected U.S involvement but as of yet had no evidence.

"Enough talk!" Turner charged Bolton throwing powerful and precise punches and kicks. Bolton easily stepped backward while deflecting and dodging Turners skillful strikes. Harkness leapt atop a crate to Bolton's right and sprang from it with a kick aimed for his head.

'Impressive.' Bolton ducked and rolled under the kick and came up behind Turner then swept his legs from under him. Before he could capitalize on his downed foe, Harkness struck out at him with two spinning kicks that pushed him back and allowed his partner to get to his feet. 'They fight well as a team,' Bolton thought then attacked.

He feinted right, putting Turner on defense while Harkness thought him open and pressed forward. Bolton caught Harkness by the wrist and drove his knee into his gut then dodged Turners hay maker blow by inches. Harkness fell to the ground momentarily stunned by the wind leaving his body but Turner's counter attack continued.

Bolton stumbled and Turner took the chance to catch him with two swift blows to the belly followed by what should have been a knockout punch to the face. Bolton rolled on his back and sprang right up to his feet, wiping the blood from his nose. Harkness and Turner stood opposite him for a second and then rushed at him as one.

Instead of retreating or standing his ground, Bolton charged at the two men quickly attacking first. Harkness got a right to the cheek and Bolton quickly spun attempting to kick Turner who barely dodged but was off balance. Bolton easily tripped him then went to work on Harkness with swift punches and kicks.

Harkness managed to block the first three but the last two rocked both his ribs and left him exposed to Bolton's roundhouse kick that knocked him to the floor. Turner attempted to catch Bolton from behind with a punch to the back of but but Bolton had been playing him.

He moved at the last second and drove his elbow into Turner's gut then slammed him head-over-heels onto his back beside Harkness body. "You gentlemen fought well..." Bolton turned around to pick his pistol up while he spoke.

Turner tapped Harkness' leg with his boot then motioned with his chin to their left. "...but this is where the battle ends for you..."

Bolton turned around and Turner was rushing at him. "Sorry!" Turner drove his shoulder into Bolton's chest pushing him backwards and onto his back. "We're just getting started! Now, Boomerang!"

Bolton hit the ground, rolled and made it to his knee just in time to see Harkness holding the detonator to a bomb in his hand. The mercenary grinned and flipped the switch just as Bolton shouted, "No!"

Turner and Harkness didn't wait to see what happened and began running as soon as he activated the detonator. All the explosives they had placed began to go off around the base as one and the floor beneath Bolton exploded and he dissipated downward into fire and rubble.

* * *

Diggle still had no idea what was going on but he had heard several things the careless guards had said and pieced together a few facts. This base was under attack, the attackers were likely his allies, and the attack was going well. Still, the guards had spoken on the numbers of men Bolton had at his call and Diggle knew that it wouldn't be long before the tides turned in the enemy's favor.

His wits had returned to him and he knew that if he was going to make his escape it was now or never. The guards had left him in the room and opted to guard from the outside so Diggle began to rock in his chair until it tilted to the side and he fell over, hitting his head on the floor.

Then the gunshots and screams started coming from outside his door so he ignored the ringing in his head and began to struggle with all his might to get free. The shouting stopped and the gunshots followed then the door began to open and Diggle held his breath.

"Spartan?"

"Lowe?! Thank god..." Diggle exhaled and finally felt relief like he hadn't felt in days.

Lowe and another soldier sat Diggle up and cut his bindings while the others guarded the door. "Mockingbird this is Leader we have Spartan."

"Oh thank God!" Lyla covered her mouth and began to tear up so Felicity placed a hand on her shoulder.

"Copy that, leader." Waller pressed a button opening the comm. to all the A.R.G.U.S agents currently fighting against Bolton's forces. "This is Mockingbird, all troops retreat to the base entrance. Asset recovered and en route. Hold until extraction is complete."

Diggle tried to stand up but stumbled. Lowe and the other soldier caught him. "I'm good. I'm good. Just been a while since I stood up free of chains." He glanced at the two men. "Spare weapon?" The soldier handed Diggle his sidearm. "Thanks. Now let's get the hell out of here."

"Team Arrow be advised Spartan is secure and en route to extraction. Fall back now," Lowe said while checking his gun.

Once Diggle stepped out of the doorway he saw that he was in the bowels of the fortress because support beams were everywhere. 'A fine place to put some explosives if we had them,' Diggle thought and that made him think about Shrapnel and the others. "Any word on my team?"

"Saw a few of them earlier. They'd escaped and were cutting through the base hell bent on destroying the place," Lowe informed him and Diggle smiled. "Told them to make an escape while they can. We've got the front gate for now but won't last long. Bolton's men are already regrouping."

"Speaking of Bolton, any word on that bastard?" Diggle growled.

"None. Hasn't been a sighting reported this entire time."

* * *

Thea, Roy and the three remaining A.R.G.U.S soldiers with them were fighting against another wave of Bolton's men that were attacking their position. The first had been easily repelled and the second as well but by the third Roy's numbers began to dwindle and so Thea and her men had to reinforce them or risk being trapped atop the tower with enemies pouring up the stairs.

The gun fighting had been brutal because of the close quarters but eventually the A.R.G.U.S soldiers ran out of ammunition and that was when they began to take losses. Luckily, Thea and Roy were trained for this sort of combat and were able to defend what remained of their troops from the full brunt of fighting by engaging themselves.

Arrows, fists and feet flew like wind with precision and power behind them. Neither had time to hold back or feel reservations, their lives were at stake here.

Thea could almost hear her father's voice in her head from when he had trained her. Telling her every sweet spot to hit that would cause unconsciousness or incapacitate for good. Usually she would ignore this voice but now it was saving her life and she fully gave in and unleashed her full fury on the men charging in at them.

The A.R.G.U.S soldiers were there as well, unwilling to die cowering and together they were able to overpower and defeat the last of the men. After it ended, more than half the soldiers they came with had perished.

"Team Arrow be advised Spartan is secure and en route to extraction. Fall back now."

Roy looked at Thea. "That was Lowe. Let's get out of here."

Everyone began to follow Roy out of the entrance. "I hope Arrow heard it." They hadn't heard any communication from her brother since he first entered the fortress.

* * *

Snowflame looked up from the cocaine piled atop a desk, eyes nearly bulging from their sockets, a dark grin on his face. "Green Arrow. I've been expecting you."

Oliver notched an arrow and took aim and fired.

Snowflame caught the arrow and looked at it like he didn't understand what it was. "You cannot harm me with this trinket." He grinned and stuck his face into the cocaine inhaling deeply. "You see my god protects me, Green Arrow." Oliver fired another arrow and Snowflame caught it while standing up. "My glorious god gives me all the power I need to bring his message to the world!" Snowflame walked from around the table and began stepping towards Oliver with a psychotic grin.

"You're insane!" Oliver walked towards him readying himself for the fight. He didn't fully understand Snowflame's abilities but he'd fought meta-humans before and was prepared. He reached for a specialized arrow that was made to disrupt meta-human abilities. The first time it would be used in the field but no better time to test it.

"Again with the arrows?" Snowflame swung at Oliver who dodged it and stabbed the arrow into his leg. Snowflame didn't budge.

"This one's different." Oliver taunted and sprang backwards waiting for the effect to kick in. Nothing happened.

"Is that it?" Snowflame easily snatched the arrow and dashed forward grabbing Oliver by the neck, tossing him through the air. "You doubt my god's power!"

Oliver hit the ground hard and coughed, struggling to catch his breath. He got to his feet just in time to dodge Snowflame's wild swing. He had enhanced abilities but no real training. "My god will flood this world with his magnificence and shower us all with his glory!" Snowflame's eyes were bloodshot red and filled with madness.

"Who is your god?!" Oliver demanded angrily, tiring of this religious fool.

"Who is my god?" Snowflame stopped in his tracks and glared as if confused that Oliver did not know. "Cocaine!" He waved to the table. "Cocaine is my god and I am the human instrument of its will!"

"Noted." Oliver quickly shot an explosive arrow at the table of cocaine blowing it up.

"No!" Snowflame raged.

At that moment the roof and walls began to rumble and the sound of explosions going off filled the area. Suddenly the ceiling out above the water exploded inward and they heard shouting as the rocks and debris fell into the water.

"Bolton?" the General was falling to his death. Snowflame's eyes grew wider and he dashed for the small dock that was nearby. Oliver shot arrows in attempt to stop him but Snowflame easily dodged them and got to the speedboat, his enhanced speed making him cross the distance and get on board before Oliver had any time to react beyond firing arrows. "Another time, Green Arrow," Snowflame called out as the speedboat sped off.

The explosive rumbling continued and the roof began to crumble inward so Oliver took another look at Snowflame and began running back the way he'd came. He'd heard every report coming across the comm. and began making his way towards the front gate.

"This is Green Arrow..." he said as he ran."Evacuating now. Don't wait for me."

"Nice to know you're alright. Was worried there for a second," Thea said with levity in her voice.

"Had a little run in with Snowflame." Oliver ducked and dodged falling debris and explosions while he ran through the halls. "Tell you about it later. Gotta' make myself an escape route." He shot an arrow into the end of the hall blowing a hole into it then he dove through just as explosions tore the hallway he was to shreds.

Oliver fell for a moment then curled into a ball and shot out a line arrow that snatched him upwards before he hit the ground. He landed safely beyond the walls of the fortress and turned around for a short moment to watch as Bolton's base went up in flames.


	9. Eye of the White Storm

A.R.G.U.S Files: Santa Prisca

Eye of the White Storm

* * *

When Oliver arrived to the safe-house everyone was already there. He'd encountered a patrol of some men Lowe had left behind to act as reinforcements and guard the base. Oliver had thought it a smart move then and now. If they'd failed and forced to retreat these men would have been game changing for them in a combat situation.

The soldiers had waved him through reporting that all of the forces had returned and they'd even managed to get a few captives for questioning. Oliver asked about his team and the soldier had replied "All the masks are safe as well, sir," with a playful smile.

Thanking him, Oliver had continued into the makeshift base left behind by Question. The faceless man had vanished without a trace and Oliver wondered if he'd ever see that strange man again.

Several villagers were celebrating along with some A.R.G.U.S soldiers as well. The patrol hadn't mentioned anything out of the ordinary so Oliver stopped the nearest soldier. "What's the celebration about?"

"You haven't heard, sir?" The soldier smiled. "General Bolton's dead. Killed by two of the Suicide Squad." With that the soldier laughed and walked off with his arm around another.

"Bolton's dead…" Oliver's mind returned to his fight with Snowflame. When the explosion tore through the roof Oliver had heard screaming but couldn't make out the form falling. He'd heard Snowflame say Bolton but in more of a question then anything. If that was Bolton that had been falling he surely was killed by the fall or crushed by the rocks and debris. He'd have to hear the story for himself.

The celebration slowly began to pick up as the A.R.G.U.S soldiers lost control over the villagers, all of whom were celebrating the news of General Bolton's death. Oliver couldn't help but smile at the laughter and joy around him, even though Snowflame was still out there along with a sizeable force of men.

The mission had been accomplished though. Rescuing Diggle and, reluctantly, the other members of Task Force X. Team Arrow hadn't come to this island to hunt down Bolton or Snowflame and his encounter with the man had been purely by chance. They would be leaving soon; Waller could finish off the rest herself. Lowe was more than capable of leading the final charge against Snowflame.

He finally made it to the main staging area and opened the door. "Ol-Arrow!" Thea ran and embraced him, almost saying his real name in front of the A.R.G.U.S soldiers. "I'm so glad you're alright. We were worried."

"I'm fine. Had a little run in with Snowflame but I made it out alright." Oliver put his bow down on a large table that was in the center of the room and held most the personal weapons in the room.

Diggle walked up and embraced him. "Glad to see you're alright."

"You? We're glad we made it in time," Oliver shot back. "You're the one that was captured."

Diggle laughed a little. "Yeah well you're the one who fought Snowflame. We saw him but mostly dealt with that freak, Bolton."

Lowe came forward. "Is there anything you can tell us about Snowflame? Any information could be vital to taking him down."

"Yeah," Oliver sat down. "He gets his powers from cocaine. I don't know how but I saw it with my own eyes. The guy's nuts. He believes cocaine is his God and he's serving its divine will."

"You mean to tell me all this time all I had to do was snort a line to get powers?" Harkness chuckled a little from his seat.

"I don't think it works like that." Oliver replied. "I'm not sure how it works honestly but I know that the more he inhaled the stronger and more dangerous he became."

"This is crazy," Thea whispered. "I've never heard anything like this."

"Could he be a meta-human? Maybe the coke is awakening his powers he already has?" Roy offered. "I don't know…"

"Anything's possible," Diggle interjected. "We've got some prisoners. Let's find out who they are and question them."

"I've had men identifying the prisoners we captured and only one seemed to be of note. He's the number three in Bolton's army. Men found him hiding in Bolton's office." Lowe handed a hastily thrown together file to Diggle. "That's all the info we've got on him so far, Spartan."

"Thank you." Diggle opened the file.

"Let Turner and I do the questioning," Harkness played with his boomerang. "We'll get 'em to sing."

"We're not torturing anyone." Oliver immediately spoke up. "There are other ways of getting information."

"So you say," Turner grumbled.

"C'mon," Diggle motioned for Oliver to follow him and they were led out of the room and through the village to where the prisoners were being held.

Altogether they'd brought back about ten men in custody. Some they'd taken from the base itself and others had been captured attempting to flee through the forest after Bolton's defeat. The A.R.G.U.S soldiers had captured who they could and killed who they had to.

The door was opened and Diggle was let into a small room that held a man who was tied securely to a wooden chair. His hands and feet were bound in multiple ways to ensure he went nowhere and could barely move.

Oliver closed the door and Diggle opened the file to check the name again, "Captain Dominic Barusa?"

The man sitting in the chair looked up, tears on his face, snot running down his nose. His face was swollen and eyes black from the beating he likely received before he was turned over. Well deserved, Diggle had no doubt.

"You seem a bit soft to have worked under such a monster," Oliver observed.

Barusa looked up at him for a second and through the sniffles said, "Forced to work under…" he coughed."…for so long I had to."

"Why?" Diggle asked.

"I was well known on the island before their arrival. I had led a great victory for my people some time ago in battle…" the snot and tears slowly began to stop. "…some loved me for the victory and others hated me. When Bolton first arrived he tried to turn me to his side but I refused. In response my entire family was taken and hidden from me. I only saw them when and where Bolton allowed."

"Barusa, I'm-

"Save your pity!" he cut Oliver off. "If what they say is true I'll never see my family again! Bolton was the only one who knew where they were being kept! If he's dead then so are they! The soldiers guarding them will rape my wife and daughters and kill them!"

"We can help you find them…" Diggle said strongly.

"How? Things were bad here before you came but what makes you think you're making them any better?!"

"We can help by putting an end to Snowflame. I came here with a mission…" Diggle replied strongly. "…I'm not leaving until he's taken down."

It was in that moment that Oliver knew his internal discussion earlier about them all leaving now was out the window. He'd come here to rescue Diggle and had done that but he wasn't going to abandon his friend and leave him to fight against a drugged-up possible meta-human. Then it hit Oliver like a ton of bricks. He stared at the wall and cursed inside angrily.

Waller had planned this all along.

Oliver thought back to his conversation with Waller and how he had told her he wouldn't be taking down Bolton or Snowflame but rescuing his friend and leaving. What had happened? Oliver had led a team into Bolton's fortress and taken him down. Not directly but indirectly yes, he'd done it. And that was nothing compared to what Waller had really set up. Oliver looked at Diggle while he talked to Barusa trying to pry for information.

Waller had picked John because he was a skilled military man, sure but now that Oliver was here and had accessed the situation he was sure that Waller had known Diggle would fail. If by some miracle he was successful then Waller won. If Diggle was killed he'd be written off like all on Task Force X. But if he was captured, Waller knew that Oliver would step in and rescue him. All she needed was Oliver leading her men and his team against Snowflame and Bolton for almost assured victory.

She'd manipulated the pieces on the board perfectly. There had been some gamble to it but what was life without risk? Oliver could see it had paid off. Maybe she had something on Diggle that was keeping him here but more likely it was the fact that they'd been captured and tortured after losing two of their own. Enemies or not, Oliver understood, a bond was formed with someone after you fought together.

'Well played, Amanda,' Oliver thought.

"Tell me everything you can about Snowflame, his base and operation. Anything that can help us in taking him down," Diggle was saying to Barusa. "I swear to you I'll put our every resource on finding the location of your family. It's tough but right now we're your best chance at finding them."

Back at A.R.G.U.S base Amanda Waller smiled slightly at Diggle's play in this interrogation.

Barusa was silent for a long time, weeping softly. "Alright…" he finally whispered."…alright…just save my family. That's all I ask."

"You got that, Mockingbird?" Diggle touched his earpiece.

"Copy that, Spartan. Have him give descriptions of his family, the men he saw around them, where they met and any other information. I'll have a team of men begin looking immediately." Waller replied and both Felicity and Lyla looked at her in mute surprise.

"I'm going to send some more men in here. They'll cut you loose and give you more comfortable accommodations for the time being. They're gonna ask you some questions. Answer everything best you can and then give them all the information you can related to your family and where you last saw them." Diggle opened the door and left the room with Oliver in tow.

* * *

Snowflame had escaped from the Green Arrow and before long he'd made his way to land and his nearest holdout. Men were stationed there as always with weapons, ammunition and vehicles for patrols. Bolton had set up such outposts throughout the entirety of the island to better hold grip on the locals. A plan that had gone off flawlessly until this mess.

Green Arrow had desecrated his God in front of him and for that he must pay but first he needed to regain his bearings and observe the battlefield. The attack on Bolton's base had caught him completely by surprise, only beaten by the sudden appearance of the Green Arrow right in front of him. Snowflame said nothing, even as the men he was with asked questions about the explosion everyone had seen in the distance.

The ride to his home had been silent and long but he felt relief once the gates were in sight. Soon he would be inside and could muster his forces and regroup. Men would be sent back immediately to look for General Bolton since Snowflame wasn't positive that was him that was falling or that the fall had killed him. Once Bolton was secured they could plan how to squash this insurrection and kill them all.

He grinned to himself and rubbed his chin, pleased with the plans floating in his head as the gates to his fortress were opened. The drive from his gate to home was another ten minutes so he enjoyed the scenery of his lands. Beautiful trees, plants, flowers and ponds darted the yard spreading green and freshness everywhere. Guards could be seen wherever the eye looked and he nodded approvingly.

The driver stopped the car and Snowflame got out just as his servant rushed down from the stairs to his mansion.

"Sir! Sir!''

"Yes? What is it?" Snowflame demanded. "Can't you see I've just arrived home from battle? I'm tired. Can't this wait?"

"No sir! It's just come in! General Bolton is dead! Men claim to have seen his body floating away! There are reports of men deserting from all over the island!"

Snowflame tensed visibly. He'd always known in the back of his mind that Bolton was the reason for his current militia strength on the island but he had assumed his presence before had gained him some prestige. Now the truth was hitting him. "Who all here knows about this?" he demanded.

"Just me sir, I received the information just as you arrived."

Snowflame reached out and snapped the man's neck.

He couldn't let this information get out and risk the men he had here leaving as well. Green Arrow and his other enemies were coming and he needed all the men he could get if he was going to stop them and regain control of this island.

"Get rid of his body. Tell nobody about this," he ordered the men he was with while storming up the stairs. "Spread word; lock down the grounds, double guards everywhere with orders to shoot to kill. Nobody gets in or out without getting a bullet!"

* * *

The celebrations had gone on for a few hours before the villagers began to return to their homes as night approached. Diggle had taken charge of the operation upon his return and had set patrols and guards at every position. He didn't want to be taken unawares by anything. Bolton may have been reported dead but Diggle wasn't taking any chances at all. Snowflame was still out there as were men who might still be loyal to their dead General.

A soft quiet slowly came over and blended with the sounds of camp fires burning and the smell of food in the air. Rest came for many and the wounded were being tended to as best they could. Diggle had arranged pick up through Waller for all the injured and detailed four men to protect them when they left tomorrow.

Diggle himself couldn't rest and spent some time looking over the notes gathered from Captain Barusa as well as maps of the area. He gathered his thoughts then called for everyone to meet him in the main staging area where he was waiting.

He sent everyone from the room but team Arrow, the remaining members of Task Force X and Lowe. "Before we get started on a plan to take down Snowflame I need to know…" he looked to Oliver."…are you and the team with us, Green Arrow?"

Oliver looked to Thea and Roy.

"I'm not leaving Spartan here to get captured again." Thea joked.

"And I'm not leaving her." Roy shrugged with a cocky grin.

"There's your answer," Oliver told Diggle.

Ben Turner chuckled. "Was going to call you a coward if you'd said no." This made Flagg and Task Force X snicker amongst themselves.

"Alright!" He spread out a map. "This is us and this is where Bolton's fortress was. From here to Snowflame's home is an hour or so drive but from any way other then air they're gonna see us coming," Diggle reported and drew out on the map. "Barusa informed me of an escape tunnel Snowflame has for emergency situations. Big enough for a small team to sneak in and strike from the inside."

"What about the rest of the men?" Thea asked.

"They can hang here while we sneak in and try to take down Snowflame. Or they can stay close to the base and attack on our signal. Or they can be a distraction for us and then we sneak in and take down the boss," Diggle offered his thoughts.

"They'll be slaughtered," Lowe replied, not in a punishing way but more contemplating if the loss was worth the gain.

"That isn't an option." Oliver put his foot down and Diggle smiled, he'd known Oliver wouldn't go for the sacrifice soldier's play.

"Alright then. What's the play here, Arrow?" Diggle folded his arms.

"We don't attack immediately…" Oliver moved towards the map. "…instead of moving large groups of our men we'll move small ones on foot from here to Snowflame. Groups of three or four spread out about half a mile or so from each other. They'll be stealthier and Snowflame's army is in shambles right now with Bolton dead."

"Reports did indicate that many of Bolton's soldiers were press-ganged into service. Barusa confirms that," Lowe added.

"Exactly," Oliver replied. "Reason to believe that there will be desertion and disorder. Snowflame may be able to rally those men immediately to him but we have no reason to believe there will be heavy patrols or guards."

"Bolton's men outnumbered us a bit in the fight but overall we were evenly matched. If he had half Snowflame's army with him then that means we're likely to encounter similar numbers or perhaps even less men," Lowe hypothesized.

"That's a big assumption," Diggle said.

"We've had reports of their numbers and I think it's safe to say this is more than assumption," Lowe replied.

"Do we have enough men left for an assault against a force like that?" Flagg asked Lowe.

"Roughly…" he exhaled a bit."…we'd be outnumbered for sure but they likely aren't any better trained then Bolton's men. We've got the superior skill and weaponry. We can handle it."

"Alright, so small teams spread out and wait for?" Diggle looked back to Oliver.

"Our signal…" Oliver stated like it should have been obvious. "We're going to use Barusa's Intel to get inside and cause a commotion. Snowflame will hopefully divert all attention to the attack from inside and that'll give A.R.G.U.S enough time to swoop in and cover our backs while we take down Snowflame. We'll need a small team to secure the dock as well. We can't have him getting away on another speedboat."

Everyone stood in silence while they mulled over the plan in their minds. "Anybody got anything better?" Harkness asked the room. "Then we're going with Arrow's plan," he said.

Lawton walked to the map, "I'll be about here…" he pointed at a spot, "…looks like from that hill I can maneuver in a semicircle to see most of the house on that side."

"Alright," Diggle stood up. "Lowe, have men pack and prepare, we leave tomorrow. It'll be a few hours walk to get to where we're going so, tell 'em to stock up on supplies and be ready for a good ol' fashioned hike."

"Copy that." Lowe left the room.

Lawton strolled over to Oliver and said, "Crazy, huh?"

"What's crazy?" Oliver asked.

"Us working together. Who would have thought? First Spartan and now you guys…" he motioned to team Arrow. "Last time we saw each other I recall hostility."

"You were committing murder," Oliver replied bluntly.

"You call it murder, I call it business…" Lawton said smoothly as he started to leave. "…tomato, tomato Green Arrow."

"I don't like him." Thea didn't mince her words.

"He's an acquired taste for sure," Flagg said with a laugh. "But handy in a fight."

Everyone left the room to prepare for the final assault except for Team Arrow. Once they were alone they all removed their masks and relaxed some, locking the door to ensure nobody entered.

"How you holding up, Diggle?" Oliver asked him, sounding like a concerned friend and not a dangerous vigilante.

"Up and down. Lost two men, man." Diggle grimaced. It was strange to even think of Cutter and Scheffer as his men but they were. They'd fought and bled together. He'd made them a promise and failed. "Bolton got both of 'em."

"He's dead, John. You heard Turner and Harkness' story," Roy assured him.

"And I can confirm him falling with my own eyes," Oliver added.

"Yeah, I guess you're right. It's just…" Diggle rubbed his head. "…leading this team and making those promises. It's tough to fail. To know you failed them."

"Then keep going forward, complete the mission and make sure their deaths weren't in vain," Thea said softly.

* * *

Lawton, Turner, Harkness and Bertinelli had gathered together to have a warm meal in peace outside. They'd been beaten and tortured but now they were free and able to stretch their legs and inhale some fresh air. Sure, they'd be thrust knee deep into the usual chaos again in a few hours and yeah, two of their friends had been killed but this was the Suicide Squad. What other way was there to go?

Flagg had joined them after a while, seeking them out because inside he felt more at home with them then he did with Waller or the A.R.G.U.S. men. Conversation had arisen and some laughs shared in memory of their fallen comrades. It wasn't long before others took notice and joined them.

"How was it out there, Flagg?" Lowe asked as he sat down next to the soldier with a bowl of stew.

"No better or worse than any other hellhole Waller's sent us into." Flagg told him.

"I hear that." Lowe looked at everyone. "Sorry for you losses," He said sincerely. "Good people died."

"I wouldn't necessarily say good," Bertinelli chuckled. "But I do appreciate the sentiment."

They ate in silence for a few minutes. They had all seen Lowe around the A.R.G.U.S. jail and talked to him to some extent at one point or another but not much interaction. He wasn't around often as he was sent on missions of importance for Waller, like Flagg. He and Flagg had been in a skirmish or two together and had some history so Lowe had taken the mission with a measure of personal feeling involved. "So you two got that bastard Bolton?" he gazed up from his meal at Harkness and Turner.

"Oh yeah," Harkness bragged. "Brought the building and the floor down around him."

"Bastard had some skills though." Turner admitted.

"I know. I fought him when we first got here. He'd sent out false info on your location and tried to trap us." Lowe chewed some meat in his stew.

"What happened?" They all looked at him with impatience while he ate.

Lowe grinned. "I fought him on the roof," he said proudly.

"And…?" Harkness raised an eyebrow.

"…he tossed me off the roof," Lowe said and everyone laughed.

Flagg wiped a tear, "Wasn't expecting that."

"You?!" Lowe laughed. "I got him back though. He thought I was dead so I blew a hole in the roof and saved Team Arrow right when he thought he had them."

"Nice," Flagg said with a nod of his head. "Would have made Shrapnel proud."

The mention of their deceased explosive-loving friend brought another awkward silence. The sound of chewing started to get too loud. Lowe felt the weight of this silence as well. Their casualties had been few but as the leader he felt their lives had been in his hands. He was thankful so many injured were saved and being escorted away. He also dreaded the coming battle he still had to lead his men into. With them spread so thinly they would be somewhat harder to direct and control and could easily be overrun.

"I'm glad that fuck got what he deserved," Bertinelli offered and raised her cup, jolting Lowe from his dark thoughts. "For Shrapnel! And Cupid!"

They all raised their cups and echoed the cry in unison. Lowe ignored the thoughts of what the future may hold and brought his cup up to meet theirs, echoing the cry.

Somewhere in the village, Diggle heard them and silently raised his cup.

* * *

The time passed by at a snail's pace for John Diggle. He had been roaming through the area insuring that everything was in order and everyone was ready for the coming battle. It wouldn't be easy and he knew inside that he was leading more men to their deaths but this had to happen. Men and women had died and leaving Snowflame in power was not an option. So he shouldered his load, gritted his teeth and bared it.

After there was more work left to distract himself with he retired to the control room and found himself some privacy. He had known that he should have immediately called his family but the situation here was more pressing, though he had been loathed to admit it.

He sat down and stretched then opened a communications channel, "Lyla? You there?"

"Yes, Johnny! Oh my god, I'm so glad you're alright!" he could hear in his wife's voice that she was crying. "How are you? We were informed the mission was a success but I haven't heard much about your condition."

"Yeah, there's been a lot going on since they freed us."

"Packing up to come home?" Lyla's voice was hopeful.

There was silence.

"John?"

"Bolton's dead. The mission is halfway done." Diggle closed his eyes as he said this, thinking about how he could leave and go home to his beloved family. He shook his head slowly. "Snowflame killed two of my team. I have to see this through."

Lyla sighed in an understanding way, "I know." She finally said after a pause.

"How's Sarah?"

"Fine. She misses her daddy." Lyla told him. "Her mommy does too."

"I miss you both so much." Diggle rubbed his head and face. "But I believe, Lotton now. That means I'm back to square one of my brothers killer. Snowflame is the only way to find out."

"And he killed Scheffer and Cutter."

"I failed them, Lyla…"

"No, Johnny. No you didn't."

"A good leader would have seen something, changed the plan…something…"\

"Johnny, I love you. You know that, but when you mess up I let you know so you can do better. Because that's what a wife is supposed to do. You did everything you could and you led them better than anyone here could have. Now you're going to lead them again and you're going to come home victorious. That's an order." Lyla's voice was soothing and soft and Diggle could tell now she was smiling.

It made him smile too. "I love you."

"I love you too." Lyla replied.

"So," Diggle kicked his feet up onto the nearest desk and leaned back in his chair. "What else has been going on?"

* * *

Oliver and Thea sat atop the largest building they could find in the village. It was a quaint three-story hovel built up amongst a strand of trees. They watched silently as A.R.G.U.S soldiers scurried around making the final preparations. By now the word had been received by all and the plan lay out as well. All knew the final battle was approaching. Some seemed eager while others seemed weary and unwilling but still following orders.

Oliver knew all those feelings well. He felt them every time he put on the costume. The weight of his past failures, the fear of future failures and the longing for a peace you'll never see. He probably knew more about that last one than the soldiers but still it was a relevant feeling.

"Waller set us up," Oliver told his sister.

"You sound surprised."

Oliver laughed, "A little yeah," he admitted. "It was a well played gamble."

"Are you giving Waller credit?" Thea smirked and pushed her brother's shoulders a little bit.

"Not really credit, just recognizing the play and noting it to make sure it never happens again." Oliver told her. "We're out here leading her men and fighting her war right now for reasons we'll probably never know."

"I don't see it like that, Ollie," Thea told him. "I came here to save my friend and now I'm helping him finish something he needs to do."

"It still helps Waller."

"Fuck Waller."

Oliver laughed, "She probably heard that."

"Fuck Waller," Thea repeated, louder.


	10. The White Storm

A.R.G.U.S. Files: Santa Prisca

The White Storm

* * *

Everyone was silent as they sliced through the underbrush like a knife through warm bread.

Oliver trailed behind John Diggle, both fully armed and attired. Oliver watched as Diggle held up his hand for a moment then moved ahead to scout out.

It was strange for him at first, not being the one in control, but Diggle had proven to be an excellent leader and the criminals that he was leading seemed to follow his orders without question. Diggle returned a moment later and gave the all clear for them to continue moving.

Altogether there were fourteen in their team, nine of them with the mission of infiltrating Snowflame's home, causing distraction and taking the drug lord out. The other five had been instructed to take, destroy and hold Snowflame's docks. They couldn't risk him whisking away on some speed boat like a movie villain. 'Diggle, Thea, Roy, Deadshot, Huntress, Boomerang, Bronze Tiger and Rick Flagg,' Oliver counted off the names of those in his immediate mission in his head.

Lowe would be leading the remaining A.R.G.U.S. men in their frontal assault once they received the proper signal, which of course, was explosions. Flagg had made sure to pack plenty of grenades, C-4 and the like into a bag that he was now carrying. Once the five A.R.G.U.S men with them saw the explosions they were to attack the docks.

Once everyone had been given their orders and broken up to move out Diggle brought his team together and broken down another plan he had.

"Alright, here's what I'm thinking. Lawton's on sniper and we've got to make one hell of a distraction. Speedy and Arsenal, you're fast and light…" he pointed at them. "…you'll be planting and detonating the explosives." He turned to Flagg. "You, Harkness, Bertinelli and Turner are one part of the distraction. Get in, bunker down somewhere good and when we give the signal, give 'em hell." The Suicide Squad all grinned and nodded approvingly. They'd all taken enough ammunitions from the A.R.G.U.S supplies for a serious firefight.

Diggle pointed at Thea and Roy, "Speedy, Arsenal you two wait until you hear the gunshots then do your jobs. Soon as you feel you've placed enough, light the place up."

Thea smiled, "Firefight and explosion?" she nodded. "That'll really get 'em going."

"And hopefully divide Snowflame's numbers," Oliver observed.

"Exactly," Diggle continued. "He'll start to panic but it won't be until Lowe and A.R.G.U.S start hitting him that things will begin to fall to ruin."

"And what will you and Green Arrow be doing?" Flagg asked.

"We're going after Snowflame," Diggle said.

A perfect plan on paper but still depended on their estimates of Snowflame's forces being correct. Still, it was a solid plan as long as it worked properly and everyone had gone for it without question.

Oliver ducked some shrubbery and stopped behind Diggle who was crouched down and peering. They'd reached the point where Deadshot was to leave the group. Diggle hadn't felt comfortable sending the sniper to the position without escorting him there and securing the area. He didn't want to risk them not having a sniper because the area was crawling with patrols.

Everyone stopped and Deadshot started to move forward. Diggle touched his earpiece and whispered, "Spartan to all. Team 1 has reached break point 1."

"Hostiles encountered and neutralized on several fronts. All teams are go." They all recognized Lowe's voice over the com by now.

'Things are proceeding excellent,' Oliver thought, pleased. They so rarely did that he savored the small moment, knowing it could be gone in an instant.

Diggle patted Lawton on the shoulder one time, a move that surprised everyone on Team Arrow, and then the sniper vanished. "We've got to do a bit of doubling back and we'll get to the tunnel exit." Once they reached the tunnel exit the A.R.G.U.S soldiers were to continue to the water where they would swim and come up on the dock from the vulnerable side.

They made quick time back the way they'd come and dipped around a small hill that was all that remained between them and where Barusa had marked the entrance.

Diggle stopped and immediately stumbled back with finger over his mouth. Oliver was forced backward into Thea and in turn the whole line got the message to stop.

Diggle peered around the corner for a split second then leaned back into cover and held up the number five with his hands indicating five men were guarding the entrance.

Oliver nodded and then looked up into the trees. He motioned for everyone to wait there, then shot an arrow and was pulled upwards, hardly making more sound then a squirrel would moving through the treetops.

Once he landed safely Oliver nimbly moved through the branches on the tips of his toes before he was directly above the men and could see everything. They were armed similar to Bolton's soldiers and were standing around leisurely without watching much. There were two vehicles off about thirty or so feet away as well. Oliver assumed they were told nobody knew of this location but were placed here to await Snowflame if he needed to escape and be his escort to safety.

He aimed two arrows and released as he jumped from the tree. Two men fell just as he landed and drove his fist into the head of a third man knocking him unconscious to the ground.

Another arrow was out and fired before the surprised fourth could react and he fell just as the fifth got his gun pointed. The man shook with fear and fumbled with the safety but even without that Oliver would had still taken him down.

Covering the distance between them in the blink of an eye, Oliver jammed the soldiers assault rifle up into his chin knocking him out as well. He glanced around for a moment. "All clear," he called.

Diggle came around the corner and clicked his wristwatch. "Two minutes," he told Oliver.

"Getting old, Arrow?" Roy teased.

Oliver said nothing as he kicked the cover off the entrance to Snowflame's tunnel, "Who's first?"

* * *

They moved through the tunnel quietly and with surprising ease. Snowflame had forced a tunnel to be dug, large enough for two people to walk comfortably side by side. Oliver could only imagine the manpower and time this had required to be dug like this. Probably a small price, if any, for someone like Snowflame.

It was dimly lit but if Barusa was right would let them out directly in Snowflame's meeting office. It was attached to his sleeping quarters but Barusa had assured them that no matter what time they entered they wouldn't catch Snowflame in the bedroom. He never slept there if he ever slept at all. He was apparently notorious for sniffing large amounts of cocaine and being awake for days on end. Often times when he did fall asleep it was in his 'party room' among his drugs.

Oliver and Diggle assumed the party room was the best place to find him and had marked it on the map as well.

They neared the end of the tunnel and were greeted by a sturdy wooden surface. Diggle reached up and ran his fingers along it for a moment then gave it a push.

It creaked a little as it went forward slowly, giving them passage into the enemy's lair. Diggle stepped out quietly, followed by Oliver and the others. All of them had weapons ready and were glancing around everywhere to spot any danger. They were now in the belly of the beast.

Diggle pointed at Oliver and then moved towards the door they'd been told led to the bedroom. They had to check it before moving out.

Oliver placed his ear to the door and listened for a minute. Hearing nothing he gave the okay and Diggle slowly turned the doorknob then pushed as Oliver stepped in with arrow ready.

Nothing.

'Excellent.' Oliver thought and lowered his weapon and continued to look around the room. It was massive and fit for a king. The bed was custom made and much larger then a California King sized mattress, which was the biggest he'd ever seen personally. Everything was lavishly decorated and trimmed in gold or white in some way or another. Pictures of Snowflame hung on the walls and Oliver felt a bit of bile rise in his throat.

Diggle took a knee and touched his earpiece, "Team 1 has reached break point 2. Status?"

"Team 3 is in position at dock."

"Team 2 in position. No further hostiles encountered."

"Copy that. Move on mark." Diggle broke communications and stretched some. There was no turning back now.

Flagg came up to Thea and started to hand her the bag full of explosives but then he stopped and opened it before reaching inside. He took out some C-4 and a trigger then handed her the bag. Without a word he walked into Snowflame's bedroom and chucked the C-4 right on the bed with a smile. "Can't wait to blow that shit up."

Everyone muffled their laughter and Diggle pointed to Thea and Roy. "You two hang here until we give the okay. We'll clear the immediate hallway in both directions for you." They nodded.

"Arrow, Bertinelli, with me. We sweep both ways and clear then Bertinelli is back with Flagg." Diggle moved for the door.

Bertinelli walked up behind Oliver and whispered, "I love how they work so hard to keep your identity a secret," in a seductive way.

Oliver glanced at her. They had history together as Oliver had trained her and taught her in an attempt to reform her ways. If not for her choice to be a murdering psycho they could have maybe been happy together. "Nice to see you too, Helena." Oliver shot back and followed Diggle into the hallway.

It was empty so they broke off and moved in either directions. Diggle came to the corner, peeked around and came back signaling two men.

Bertinelli came up with her small crossbows at the ready and the men were instantly felled. They continued to the corner of the next hall and saw no guards.

"Right secure," Flagg's voice reported.

"Left secure," Diggle responded.

They moved back and met at the door to Snowflame's bedroom. Bertinelli winked at Oliver and then went back with Flagg. Thea glared at both of them and Oliver just raised his shoulders to her questioning look.

"Alright. This is where we split. Watch your backs, keep your heads low and conserve your ammo. We want to drag this out as long as it takes to get Snowflame. Good luck." Diggle took the hand of everyone in the Suicide Squad and then Thea and Roy. Silent goodbyes were said and they all split into different directions to accomplish their separate missions.

* * *

"So where we holding up, Flagg?" Harkness asked after they'd moved away from the others.

"Doesn't really matter. First place we see with good visual and cover," Flagg replied nonchalantly.

Two guards walked up from around the upcoming corner and froze.

Turner opened fire killing them both before charging forward closely followed by the others.

"Or we kill the first people we see…" Flagg charged after his team.

* * *

Snowflame inhaled deeply and raised his head from one of the numerous piles of cocaine that were sitting on a glass table in front of him. The lights in the room rotated colors every minute or two and the room was decorated with a few couches, plants and paintings along the wall. Music played in the background adding to Snowflame's relaxing environment.

Usually the room would have women and his most trusted men in it as well. All of them doing lines and having sex while Snowflame watched at his pleasure.

"…have some time before they get here…" he mumbled to himself and swayed a little in the seat. "…just need to clear my head and put together a plan…" he dropped his head into another pile and inhaled again before snapping straight up. "THE PATROLS! DOUBLE THE PATROLS!" he roared with flaming red eyes.

The men in the room glanced at each other nervously. "Right away, sir." One of them left the room and stood outside the door for a few minutes. This was the fifth time Snowflame had shouted that order and he'd been pretending to do it for a while now.

"…my God will deliver me from these nonbelievers!" Snowflame croaked. "I will bring my God's glorious flaming wrath down upon them for their transgressions!"

He inhaled more cocaine.

"…plenty of time to prepare…"

The first sounds of gunshots went off and he snapped to attention, seemingly sobered up. "What was that?!"

His guard opened the door and the gunshots could be heard louder. "Shots being fired in the mansion, sir."

"Inside the mansion?!" Snowflame stood and pushed his chair back with such strength it shattered as it hit the wall. How had this happened? How had they got past his defenses? It didn't matter. They were here and he had to end them.

"Send men to reinforce and sound the alarm," Snowflame commanded. He opened the cabinet to the right of him and opened the door pulling out a large shotgun and a sword. Then he walked to the glass table and buried his face in the cocaine inhaling and exhaling several times before standing up again.

His eyes bulged from his head and his face was contorted into a sickening and frightful smile. "You all with me. We're going to prepare a welcome for our guests."

* * *

Thea and Roy had ducked up into one of the air conditioning vents that ran throughout Snowflame's massive mansion. They were big enough for them to army crawl through with some ease and kept them from being seen.

They couldn't have been away from the rest of the team for more then three minutes before they heard the sounds of gunshots begin to go off.

"Flagg and those psychos don't mess around, huh?" Roy said with a chuckle.

"Let's hope they're able to cause enough noise and hold their ground long enough," Thea told him and continued to crawl.

* * *

The five A.R.G.U.S men floated directly under the dock with their bodies and most of their heads submerged underwater. Snowflame had four men posted at his dock watching his numerous boats and they were mostly laying around. Every so often one of the men would walk the docks and glance around for anything but they were lax in their guarding.

One of the soldiers had stealthy swum amongst the boats planting C-4 at the bottom of each to blow large holes in them. They'd quickly sink the ships and take out the guards as well.

They remained in absolute silence until Spartan called for status and they reported.

It didn't take much time after that for them to hear the shooting begin.

Like a well-oiled machine they vanished under the water; while the four men all looked towards where the source of the gunshots were coming from, the A.R.G.U.S men rose from the water with silenced weapons ready and picked them off cleanly. They never saw or heard a thing.

The leader removed the breathing mask and the others followed suit as they trudged through the remaining water to dry land.

They quickly removed all swim gear and fanned out to scout the area. Guards could be seen all over rushing towards the sound of gunfire but completely ignoring the docks.

The leader reached up, touching his earpiece and saying, "Team 3. Docks secure. Be advised heavy hostiles inbound to shooting."

* * *

"You hear that, Flagg? We've got incoming!" Harkness shouted over the loud gunshots that were going off.

Following Turner's charge had led them into a few more small patrols before they'd come upon a dining area that seated men on break. Luckily they'd caught the men by surprise and were able to shoot most of them down initially but before they could flee reinforcements began to arrive and they were forced to bunker down in the room.

Together they'd flipped the massive dining table over to take cover behind it as the enemy were shooting in from both doorways.

"That's what we want right?" Bertinelli asked.

"Yeah, that was the plan." Flagg took the pin from a grenade and lobbed it out the door. It bounced off the wall and rolled into the hallway. "Stupid ass plan if ya' ask me."

"GRENADE!" someone in the hallway managed to get out.

The explosion rocked the room they were in sending dust everywhere and debris sailing over their heads or clattering against the table. Harkness and Turner waited for a second and then rushed into the smoke.

The sounds of stabbing and gurgled moans of pain could be heard. Flagg and Bertinelli ran after them and they began speeding down the hallway before the men behind them realized they'd escaped.

"Kill 'em as ya' see 'em boys!" Flagg shouted with a little too much joy in his voice.

* * *

Thea and Roy crouched low along the outside wall and hugged it as close as they could, sneaking around so that the men rushing inside the mansion wouldn't see them. They took down anyone they had to but their mission was to plant explosives and that was better done stealthily.

Only a few remained so they'd decided to put them on the vehicles out front if they could find any openings. So far they'd done fine but the remaining ones were too far away from their cover to reach without being seen.

Thea reached into the bag and handed Roy several triggers. "I'll toss the grenade at those trucks then we'll blow all the triggers and get somewhere inside."

"Alright."

"I don't think so!"

Guards came around the corner with weapons drawn aimed right at their heads.

Thea moved like an assassin quickly spinning on her heel in crouched position and swept around with her other leg tripping the nearest man. Her training with her father had taught her many things; hesitation meant death being one of them. In moments like this, his teachings would surface and helped guide her to victory when she needed it the most. It was a secret she wouldn't willingly tell anyone.

Their companion being tripped caused the others to look down and in that instant Roy acted. He pushed the barrel of the nearest gun aside then rose and pushed his elbow into the guard's throat before finishing with a decisive punch with his other hand.

The remaining guard jumped back and attempted to shoot but Thea rolled away dodging the bullet by an instant. Roy pulled an arrow and threw it right at the man's neck sending him down.

He glanced at Thea and opened his mouth to ask if she was alright when they saw the guards on the yard had seen them. Roy looked at the grenade, picked it up and hurled it forward.

"C'mon!" He helped Thea up then grabbed the bag of explosives just as the grenade blew up the nearest truck and sent rubble everywhere.

While they ran Roy reached into the bag and began setting off the numerous C-4 triggers. "We need to find-"

Thea heard nothing else as explosions continuously erupted with deafening volume around them. Ahead she could see men stumbling and running from the inside of the now detonating mansion. In moments, when the explosions stopped, the two of them would be surrounded.

Thea grabbed Roy by the shoulder and pointed up. She let off a grapple arrow that carried her to the roof, Roy following close behind.

* * *

Diggle and Oliver covered ground swiftly through the halls. Anyone they met was swiftly taken down by gunfire or arrows, sometimes both. Once they'd heard the sounds of gunshots they knew being stealthy was out the door and getting to Snowflame's party room was top priority.

"What's your plan to take Snowflame down?" Oliver asked as they jogged.

"Put a bullet in his head. See if that works," Diggle answered smoothly.

"Very direct."

"Dude's a psychotic, murdering drug lord that thinks coke is his God and somehow it's giving him meta-powers." Diggle hugged the corner before glancing around it and tucking back. There was a split second of hesitation and then he came around and fired twice before continuing forward.

"If we can take him alive I'm all for it," Diggle continued. "But if he's anything like Bolton he won't go out without a fight. You need to be ready to do what needs to be done, Arrow."

Oliver didn't reply just kept his eyes open and ready.

The mansion was massive but even so the sounds of gunshots were audible even where they were. A few of the guards they had seen were running by in such a rush they hadn't noticed the two of them.

"Flagg and the others must be given 'em hell," Diggle said with a hint of pride in his voice.

"Wait until Speedy and Arsenal set up." Oliver grinned. "Brilliant plan by the way."

"Only because the pieces fell into place. C'mon. I hear something up ahead." Diggle jogged a little faster and they were at a balcony that overlooked a portion of the lower floor.

They could see two men standing outside a door with one entering. Two more were straight across the hall standing at either side of a larger door. To the left of the two was a large open glass doorway that led outside of the mansion.

"I think this is it." Diggle whispered.

"Let's see," Oliver advised and the crouched low and waited.

A moment later the door opened Snowflame walked out clutching a shotgun with a sword on his back. Three men came out after him and one closed the door behind them.

"Seven men…" Oliver didn't falter. He sprang onto the railing and shot off two arrows at the guards furthest away locking them both in tight nets.

Diggle followed suit and opened fire down at Snowflame who turned, staring for a second and then raised his weapon, returning fire. Diggle could see madness in his eyes and he paused firing for half a second then ducked to take cover as Snowflame's men shot back.

At that moment the foundation of the mansion began to shake as the sound of explosions began to go off all around them. Some of the men stumbled so Oliver and Diggle returned fire.

"Get in here! Now! Green Arrow is here!" Snowflame stepped backwards and unloaded more shotgun shells upwards while shouting.

The glass door opened and several more men entered and began shooting. Snowflame disappeared out the door and it closed behind him.

"Shit!' Diggle exclaimed, forced to take cover from the hail of bullets flying toward him and Oliver. "Be advised, Snowflame spotted outside east end of mansion."

* * *

"Patience men…patience…" Lowe whispered over the channel for the A.R.G.U.S soldiers. "Team Arrow and the Suicide Squad will open this up for us." He crouched in the shadows in sight of the position he'd attack.

Getting over the fence would take a moment but he'd instructed the men to climb one at a time, the others not climbing were to provide cover fire to secure as many lives as possible. They also had explicit instructions to kill Snowflame no matter what. It was their priority as instructed by Waller, even if that meant leaving Green Arrow and the vigilantes without backup.

Lowe was uncomfortable with the orders to possibly abandon an ally but would carry them out. This was his job, his life. This was what he did. Exotic locations and black ops missions were his bread and butter. This was the first time he'd be going up against a possible meta-human but he was confident enough bullets could kill anything.

The silence and the waiting was what had the men most antsy. Even more so then being split into thin groups of three or four and spread out to encircle the entire mansion. If things went as Spartan had planned, when their signal went off they would move in and find Snowflame's forces heavily confused and easy pickings for small, precise strike team groups like what they were sectioned into at the moment.

Lowe had to agree that this was a solid strategy with their superior weapons and training; if they were able to get the drop on men it would be over quickly.

A singular explosion shot flame a few feet into the sky.

'Is that it?' Lowe had been expecting more.

Several explosions began to tear through the mansion in succession and Lowe felt a cheer growing in his chest but suppressed it. He waited for two minutes to give them more time between the explosions and their entry then touched the earpiece, "All teams you are go. I repeat you are go."

Without words he and the men dashed forward from the forest with their weapons at the ready, heading straight for the fence that wrapped around Snowflame's property. Lowe reached the gate first and began climbing without breaking stride. The three men with him kneeled down and aimed their rifles, scanning the area as Lowe climbed in. As soon as he touched the ground, Lowe crouched and aimed his weapon as the second man began climbing over the fence.

Explosions continued on for another few seconds before stopping and fires could be seen burning while shouting was heard. Everyone was preoccupied with the numerous threats from inside and ignoring the gates just as they had hoped.

Without General Bolton, Snowflame was useless as a leader and his men were falling to disarray already. Lowe's men made it over and they ran forward, closing the gap between the fence and the mansion. He could see his other soldiers in the distance to either side moving almost as one with them.

Then shots went off and forced them all to lie flat on the ground or take cover behind whatever was near them. "Return fire!" Lowe ordered and began shooting, somewhat blindly at first, towards the mansion.

The shooting spread as Snowflame's men seemed to realize the attackers were coming from all sides. Hopefully, they'd think they were heavily outgunned and fall back without realizing so few men were attacking each point.

Lowe laid flat and glared through the scope of his rifle, trying to aim at the men in front of him. As he prepared to fire, the target's head exploded and then the other four men there dropped as well.

"Clearing a path for you fine gentlemen," Deadshot's sarcastic voice said over the comm.

Lowe couldn't help but smile and shouted, "Advance!" as loud as he could while standing up and opening fire at the retreating men.

The A.R.G.U.S men were tough and the ones with Lowe were the toughest. He and his team had been through numerous missions together and trusted each other like brothers. They poured into Snowflame's compound like a swarm of locusts, quickly mowing down the guards on the outskirts with the help of Deadshot's sniping.

"Be advised, Snowflame spotted outside east end of mansion," Spartan reported over the comm.

Many of the men began retreating into the mansion, returning fire to cover their escape. Lowe looked around to scout and caught a glimpse of a man with no sleeves and all white hair. Several men were around him with rifles trained in every direction to protect his escape.

"Lowe to all teams, I've got eyes on Snowflame. Moving to intercept." Lowe motioned for his team of three to follow and they rushed from cover towards Snowflame.

One of his men noticed their charge and opened fire pushing them back into cover. "They're coming from everywhere!" Lowe heard one of them shout.

"KILL THEM! KILL THEM ALL!" an erratic and yet commanding voice that could only have belonged to Snowflame screamed.

"Can't let him get away," Lowe told his men and they all rose and opened fire, engaging Snowflame's men in a brutal shootout outside of the mansion.

* * *

Flagg and Bertinelli ran into a room to find themselves in a multi-floored library. They were standing in a small circle that lead to many sections of books.

They were also surrounded from all sides by the enemy who were slowly advancing on them. "Drop your weapons!" they demanded.

Flagg glanced up. "I don't think so."

The man opened his mouth to speak again and a boomerang split his throat wide open. He reached up, clutched weakly at his neck as blood began to pour freely from the wound and he collapsed face first.

As that happened Turner jumped from the second story of the library and came down driving his claw into another man's neck, ripping it free as he landed on the ground sending three streaks of blood sailing upwards.

Another boomerang killed the third man and Turner finished off the last one with a swift turn and slice across the neck, all before they could even think to react.

"Good job," Flagg told them. "Check your weapons. How we looking?"

"Starting to get low but good for the time being," was the general reply from the three with him. The shooting had grown intense and it wasn't safe for them to just run freely through the hallways anymore as more and more men were heading to where the gunshots were coming from. They'd taken to hiding in rooms until discovered and shooting their way out or setting traps and moving on.

"How long has it been?" Turner asked nobody in particular.

"Not sure but I know I haven't heard any explosions yet and I don't think we can keep this up much longer," Flagg said honestly.

"What other choice do we have?" Bertinelli pointed at her head then made a explosion gesture with her hand. "Dead either way. I'd rather die on my own terms."

"That's a unique perspective," Flagg commented. "Now let's move."

They all went to the door that led out of the library and Flagg peaked out then closed it quickly behind him. "Lots of guards…lots of fucking guards…" he whispered.

"Did they see you?!" Harkness demanded.

"Yeah…"

They all backed away from the door and hid just as it was kicked in and Snowflame's forces began to fill the room. There were so many of them, too many of them. No way they could take all of them down in this confined area. But if they found them they'd be dead anyway.

Flagg aimed for a second and put a bullet right in the forehead of the guy that looked in charge. The man dropped and then bullets began to fly everywhere.

The room shook violently once, twice and on the third time the floor beneath the men in the doorway exploded upwards in flames and rubble. Flagg was tossed backwards and slammed into a bookshelf knocking several heavy tomes down on his head.

The floor continued to shake with the dull rumble that indicated the explosions had finally been set off and the reinforcements would soon be here. They would also distract some of Snowflame's men so they all wouldn't be coming right for them anymore.

The entire library had been torn apart by the initial explosion and killed all of Snowflame's men that were about to gun down the Suicide Squad. Harkness rubbed his shoulders as he wondered just how many times they'd been saved on this mission by random explosions. At quick glance he could see all the members of his team were slowly getting to their feet. They'd been lucky, if they'd stood a few feet from where they had been the explosions would have killed them instead of the enemy.

The world spun around and lights danced behind Flagg's eyes as he tried to steady himself. He felt rough arms hoist him to his feet.

"Let's go, Flagg!" It was Ben Turner. "This whole place is going up! We've got to move!"

* * *

Oliver and Diggle were doing the best that they could but at the moment were simply outgunned. They hadn't been able to advance or retreat from the area because the gunfire was so heavily concentrated on them.

"I don't see a way out of this Oliver." Diggle grimaced as shots tore the wall apart.

"And Snowflame's probably getting away," Oliver cursed. "We don't have time for this." If Snowflame got away he'd go underground and it would be impossible to find him. By the time they did he would have rebuilt everything and become a threat again.

Diggle shot wildly from cover for no reason other then keeping up appearances. Didn't want them getting comfortable and trying to rush the upper level they were on.

As Diggle finished that thought the glass ceiling above them burst inward sending massive shards raining down on top of the bulk of Snowflame's men. Two ropes fell down and from the roof, Thea and Roy swung down. Arrows darted through the air while they came down and Diggle whispered, "Thank God," before he and Oliver leapt from the railing and attacked.

Team Arrow rushed the briefly hesitant men tearing into them with their usual precision and skill. The mostly untrained islanders stood no chance against the four of them and the fight was over as swiftly as it began.

"Thanks for the assist," Oliver said, some seriousness in his tone.

"Saw you from the roof.." Roy pointed up. "figured you guys wouldn't mind a little backup."

Diggle started to say something but the doors to the left and right of the room opened and soldiers started shooting. Diggle and Oliver dove towards the door Snowflame had ran through while Thea and Roy went the opposite way.

"Go!" Thea screamed. "We've got this! Get Snowflame!"

Oliver started to protest but Diggle grabbed his shoulder and pointed outside the glass door. Oliver looked and could see the bodies of several A.R.G.U.S soldiers. He turned and looked and his sister and Roy one last time then followed Diggle out of the door.

The outside was a bloodbath.

Bodies of Snowflame's men and A.R.G.U.S soldiers were thrown about with many of the later having missing limbs, heads or large lacerations. 'Snowflame's good with the sword.' Oliver noted carefully. He'd fought many swordsmen in his time and he'd be ready.

"Look!" Oliver turned and saw Diggle jogging over to one of the bodies that was moving.

It was Lowe.

Oliver was there in a flash and saw that Lowe had sustained several cuts to the body. "What happened?"

Lowe coughed, "Got your message...saw Snowflame and attacked...the guy is a monster...his eyes...his fucking eyes..." Lowe coughed more.

"Easy. Easy." Oliver looked around. "Which way did he go?" Lowe weakly pointed around to the back of the building.

"I need men on east side now. Lowe is injured and needs evac," Diggle instructed.

"Stay with him, Spartan. I'm not letting him get away. Once he's secured back me up," Oliver said and Diggle agreed. He wouldn't leave Lowe to possibly be killed by Snowflame's men.

Oliver rushed off at a jog in the direction Lowe had indicated. Snowflame's mansion was a smoldering wreck. Giant flaming holes dotted the exterior and fires could be seen on the inside. The excess of some was blown to and fro by the winds and clouded the view here and there.. It was only a matter of time before the entire place caught fire and burned to the ground.

Oliver came around the back of the house and saw the docks in the distance. The boats were gone but he saw the bodies of the A.R.G.U.S men that had been tasked with holding the area on the ground. Snowflame snapped the neck of the last man then tossed his body in the water like someone might do dirty clothes.

"NO!" Oliver swiftly sent four arrows at him.

Snowflame turned and knocked the first one aside then dodged the others. When the final arrow hit the dock it exploded behind Snowflame sending drug lord and pieces of the dock into the air. Oliver began to run towards the shattered docks but Snowflame recovered quickly from the explosion, looked directly at Oliver then began charging towards his home gripping a sword in his hand.

Oliver cursed under his breath then began to give chase.

* * *

The bullets flew like raindrops and tore apart everything they touched. Thea and Roy crawled along the ground to a safe place in-between the forces opposing them. It was two of them versus two dozen heavily armed men.

"You take the left, I take the right?" Roy asked with a bit of a smile on his face.

"I think you're enjoying this too much, Harper," Thea teased.

"It isn't too often we get to blow up a mansion," Roy retorted and fired an arrow blindly off into the distance. There was a pause and then the sound of an explosion and men yelling. "So excuse me if I'm having a little fun."

"I'll take right and you take left." Thea laughed and they went to work. Both seemingly rose as one and shot out smoke arrows that blinded and choked the enemy.

Thea rushed into the smoke like a starving predator after weak prey. She was on the first man in seconds and he was down before he realized the enemy was near. The smoke parted slightly as she darted through it picking Snowflame's remaining forces off with lethal precision. She couldn't see any better than them but their choking and loud yelling gave away their positions. If she listened she could hear noises of coughing, yelling, contact and groans across in the smoke cloud where Roy was doing the same thing she was.

The smoke slowly began to dissipate and she saw the last two men waving their hands in attempt to fan away the smoke. They noticed her and opened fire but Thea nimbly dove right and faded away into a large enough cloud of smoke. The men began to look around and two arrows flew knocking them both down. Thea grinned as she surveyed the area while catching her breath. They were all down.

"SPEEDY! LOOK OUT!"

She pivot on her heels just in time to catch a glimpse of a soldier she'd thought she'd knocked with with his rifle trained on her. She had no time to move before the barrel exploded in a bright flash and she heard the familiar sound of gunfire.

It all seemed to happen in slow motion for her. She saw the small burst of flame push from the barrel and the bullet slowly travel at her. She saw it and realized that this might be the end. She had nowhere to go and no chance to dodge it.

Then Roy's arm slowly appeared from her peripheral vision and as she blinked it flung itself into the path of the bullet.

There was a burst of crimson and then a slow and loud scream of agonizing pain before time snapped back to normal. Thea rolled left, dodging the bullet, then fired an arrow right into the eye of the man who had just shot Roy.

He was curled up on the ground and his screams were straight from nightmares. Thea's heart dropped as she ran the few steps then slid down next to him and reached for his head.

"Roy! Roy!" he was shaking badly and gripping what was left of his right arm. "Oh my god!"

The bullet had nearly blown his entire right arm off from the elbow down. What remained hung but small bits of cartilage and sinew Roy screamed one last time then passed out in shock.

"Arrow! Spartan! Red Arrow is down! He's hurt bad...His arm...oh my god...there's so much blood..." Thea cradled his head and rocked back and forth, so shocked she couldn't think of anything else to do. The blood was rushing out and pooling around the both of them.

* * *

Diggle crouched down and watched Oliver run off around the building then looked at Lowe, "I'm going to pick you up. Move you into some cover."

Lowe nodded and then muffled his screams as Diggle tried his best to lift him as easily as possible. He moved him towards the glass doors that led to Snowflame's party room, having nowhere else to go, but then the sounds of gunfire and combat reminded him that Thea and Roy were in that room fighting off bad guys.

"Damn..." Diggle placed Lowe carefully down on the steps and then began to survey the area. Seeing nothing he crouched down next to Lowe and waited for either backup to arrive or the all clear signal from his teammates inside.

The action sounded intense and after a while the gunshots fell mostly silent and the sounds of fighting could be heard. He knew Thea and Roy were taking the men apart like checkers inside and he felt a swell of pride.

The gunshots finally died down completely and then he heard one more go off. Followed by Thea's voice panicking, "Arrow! Spartan! Red Arrow is down! He's hurt bad...His arm...oh my god...there's so much blood..."

Diggle hoisted Lowe up and kicked in the door. The room was littered with bodies of dead and unconscious men alike and then he saw Thea gripping Roy in the middle of the room.

"No..." he saw Roy's bloody stump and his arm hanging limp. "God no..." Lowe was placed down somewhat roughly nearby and Diggle went to Roy immediately. "We have to stop the bleeding." Diggle knelt down and began taking off his jacket.

"How?" Thea was a visible wreck.

Diggle hesitated, "We'll have to remove what's left of the arm and the cauterize the wound or else he's going to bleed out." Thea just kept rocking back and forth. "Shit!" Diggle looked around. The room was nothing but bodies.

"Holy shit..."

Diggle glanced up and saw the Suicide Squad looking over the railing above him and the wheels began to turn. "All of you down here now!" He shouted. "Harkness, I need boomerangs, Flagg and Turner make a fire and Bertinelli watch our backs." his team jumped from the balcony and went to work and Diggle looked at Thea. "Speedy! Speedy!" he tapped her lightly on the face and she became coherent again. "I need you to get it together okay? We have to move quickly or Red and Green Arrow might both die."

Thea glanced at him swiftly with a look of not understanding, "Green Arrow went after Snowflame. He's going to need backup." Diggle told her and a look of recognition came over her face. "Green Arrow be advised: Red Arrow is being taken care of. Proceed with mission."

The fire was burning as portions of the home were already aflame and Harkness had dropped a few boomerangs down onto the ground. It was then that another squad of A.R.G.U.S soldiers began coming into the room as well. Boomerangs and knives were placed in the fire and began to be heated.

Quickly assessing the situation, Diggle looked back at Thea. "He went down to the docks. Take the squad and back him up."

Flagg shook his head, "Your friend needs you right now." He said to Diggle and Thea. "We'll back up Green Arrow and you guys handle this." Diggle looked at Flagg with utter respect and admiration then nodded approvingly.

"Watch your backs out there," Diggle instructed.

"Don't worry about us, Spartan. We're the best of the best." Turner and the others ran towards the glass doors and then were gone outside towards the docks.

Diggle reached for the knife in the fire and placed a light grip on what remained of Roy's arm, looked at Thea and then sliced away at the tissue connecting it at the elbow.

* * *

Oliver ran as fast as he could but he could see the distance between himself and Snowflame growing as the mad drug lord ran towards his burning home. Oliver watched as Snowflame dove through the side of the wall like it was made of cardboard and vanish into the house.

He sprang through the hole Snowflame had made and quickly glanced around then ran after his target. He could hear the heavy footsteps and labored breathing up ahead of him and he recognized where they were going. Snowflame was running to his bedroom.

'There's probably more coke there.' Oliver realized to his sudden horror. He notched and fired twice but the arrows missed Snowflame as he turned a corner and began taking the stairs two and three at a time.

"Arrow! Spartan! Red Arrow is down! He's hurt bad...His arm...oh my god...there's so much blood..."

Oliver stopped in his tracks when he heard the sheer terror in his sister's voice. He looked to where Snowflame was and then back to where he had come. Roy was his apprentice and he had to make sure he was alright.

"Green Arrow be advised: Red Arrow is being taken care of. Proceed with mission."

It was like Diggle knew Oliver was about to abandon the objective and turn back for his friends. It almost made him smile but the situation was too serious and he began to give chase after Snowflame again.

It took him another minute to make it to Snowflame's room to find the door smashed in. 'Shit...' he thought while notching an arrow and stepping into the room. As soon as he entered he felt a hand grab his wrist and he was yanked off his feet, spun through the air and flung across the room.

Oliver felt himself connect with something solid that knocked the wind out of him before he slammed into the floor groaning audibly.

"You thought to come into my room and stop me from seeking my God's blessing?!"

Oliver could only see colors for a moment but he knew that Snowflame had just gotten his fix, "You're...insane. Cocaine is a drug...it's rotting your mind..."

"Silence! I won't allow you to speak ill of my God!"

Oliver leaned up and fired an arrow that lodged itself right in Snowflame's shoulder but the man didn't falter. He grabbed Oliver by the shoulder and flung him into the wall by the door. Oliver smashed through the wall and roll roughly out into the hallway.

'He's stronger then before...' Oliver's head spun and his body screamed.

"Do you see now, Green Arrow? DO you see my God's power?" Snowflame's voice boomed over the crackling sounds of wood burning and falling debris.

"I...I see a drug addict..." Oliver spat and stood to his feet. "A drug addict that's about to be taken down."

"I admire your resolve." Snowflame stood in the doorway, clearly feeling full of himself. "My God would welcome one such as yourself. Join me. Be absolved of your sins."

Oliver shot an explosive arrow right beside Snowflame blowing a chunk of the wall down onto him. "No thanks."

Seconds later Snowflame launched the rubble from himself with a mighty shout. Oliver dodged the flying rubble and readied to fight. Snowflame only smiled, "Oh ye' of little faith." he teased.

"I have faith." Oliver retorted.

"Oh? Faith in what?" Snowflame cocked his head curiously.

"Faith in my team." Oliver said just as Rick Flagg and the Suicide Squad came around the corner behind Snowflame and opened fire.

Snowflame dove through the wall back into his room. "We have to stop him! He's going to sniff more coke!" Flagg yelled the obvious as they all charged into the room.

But it was too late.

As soon as they entered a chunk of wall slammed into Turner knocking him off into the shadowy part of the room. "Open fire!" Flagg shouted and everyone with guns began to blindly shoot into the darkness where the projectile had flown from.

"You fools..." Snowflame's voice seemed to come from everywhere. "...forgive them, my God, for they know not what they do!"

Snowflame flew from the darkness like a blur and snatched Harkness by the neck then drove his fist deep into the man's stomach before tossing him aside. Flagg, Bertinelli, and Oliver opened fire but to their surprise the bullets and arrows bounced off Snowflame's body.

"Now do you fools see?!" Snowflame shouted while walking towards them. "Cocaine is my God and I am the human instrument of its will!"

Oliver nudged Flagg and motioned towards the balcony. They had to escape and the hallway was going up in flames. Snowflame was too powerful. They needed to wait for his high to die down before they could finish him. 'Assuming that his strength left with his high,' Oliver thought.

They rushed for the balcony together and made it through the door but Snowflame came crashing through the wall beside them. "There is no escape for you. My God will give me the power to kill everyone responsible for this atrocity!"

Oliver shot three arrows down at Snowflame's feet and they all released a smokey gray gas that billowed up around Snowflame who began to cough.

"What's that?" Bertinelli asked.

"Sedatives." Oliver replied.

"You think this can stop me?!" Snowflame dashed forward so fast he broke the cloud apart. Before anyone could react he had Bertinelli by the neck and flung her from the balcony.

"Helena! No!" Oliver immediately began attacking with arrows. This time they stuck into Snowflame's skin but he still didn't seem to notice. "He gets weaker as his high wears down!" Oliver shouted over the comm to everyone.

"Good to know." Flagg drew the last weapon he had, his handgun, and began opening fire. Snowflame held up his arm letting the bullets go into his forearm but not even uttering a yelp.

"Take him down!" Oliver sprang forward with Flagg on his heel realizing they needed to wear him down.

Snowflame backhanded Oliver and tried to kick Flagg but he dodged it and was able to punch Snowflame twice before the drug lord grabbed his arm and tossed him head over heels into Oliver. The two rose again and were forced on the defensive from Snowflame's swift attack. Oliver ducked, rolling left while Flagg instinctively did the same to the right.

Snowflame froze for a second and glanced both ways giving Oliver enough time to draw and fire an arrow that lodged into Snowflame's thigh.

"Your trinkets won't help you!" Snowflame began attacking Oliver with ferocity but Oliver was easily able to dodge the first few blows.

Flagg opened fire on Snowflame's back but he ignored it and went at Oliver harder. He feigned a kick and then caught Oliver in the head with a punch the knocked him two feet to the left and onto the ground. Flagg then jumped into Snowflame's back and drove his knife into Snowflame's clavicle to the hilt.

Snowflame cried out in pain and fell to one knee but he reached back and grabbed hold of Flagg's shoulder then threw him through the remaining wall back into the flaming mansion. He breathed heavily while he reached up and yanked the knife free then threw it over the balcony.

Oliver began to stir and Snowflame stood to his feet, Bleeding from several gunshot and arrow wounds. "When will you understand? I have transcended being something you and your troop can defeat."

Snowflame walked slowly over towards Oliver's still barely conscious form.

"Once I've broken your neck I'll seek my God's guidance to finish off the rest of your friends." Snowflame stood over Oliver and placed his boot on Oliver's neck. He closed his eyes and raised both his hands, "I offer the offender to you my God!" Oliver could feel the pressure growing on his neck and there was nothing he could do.

"Let him go!"

Snowflame turned to see the woman he'd tossed off the balcony pointing her handheld crossbows at him. He chuckled and then began to laugh but didn't move his foot from Oliver's neck. "His arrows could not stop me. Bullets could not stop me. What makes you think you're little toothpicks will fare any better?"

Bertinelli shot her bolts and they dug into his shoulders. "Don't know but what's it hurt to try right?"

Snowflame's arms hung limp for a moment and his breathing was even heavier. He roared and pumped himself back up yanking the bolts free. "NOTHING CAN STOP ME! I AM INVINCI-"

A loud gunshot rang out and the pressure on Oliver's throat began to lift.

Oliver opened his eyes and saw Snowflame's body tilted to the left then collapsed. His entire head missing.

"You're welcome." Lawton's sarcastic tone usually pissed Oliver off but at this moment it was one of the greatest sounds he'd ever heard.

"Thank you, Deadshot." Oliver choked and stood up, looking down at Snowflame's headless corpse.

"And thank you too, Huntress." She came over and helped Oliver up. She was visibly sore from the fall from the balcony but she had survived.

"Who would have thought we'd be saving Green Arrow's butt, right Deadshot?" Bertinelli teased.

"It'll be one hell of a story for sure." Lawton replied cheerfully.

They heard noises from inside the mansion and turned to see Flagg stumble out of the wreckage. "Did we get him?" he gripped his ribs, blood trickling from his head.

Bertinelli went and helped him walk away from the mansion. "Yeah, we got 'em." She motioned with her chin to the corpse of Snowflame and Flagg spat on it as they walked passed.

Oliver inhaled deeply and then smiled a little, "This is Green Arrow to all, Snowflame is down. We won."

* * *

The air of relief and cheerful conversation between the survivors had been an eerie contrast to the smell of blood and cries of wounded coming from the back of the plane. They had lost less then a third of the A.R.G.U.S men with majority being wounded at various levels of severity. Snowflame's men had fallen into panic and disarray when the full extent of the attack began to set in. Without a leader like General Bolton to keep things together it had mostly been like taking candy from a baby to close this chapter in the book.

After Oliver had announced the victory celebration had gone up on both ends from the A.R.G.U.S soldiers to Waller, Felicity and Lyla back home. The impossible had been accomplished and Snowflame's few remaining men began to surrender.

Men were left behind to give aid and Waller had sent more men, supplies and medicines with the ships that were to bring them home. Apparently, she'd convinced a few charity organizations to donate to the rebuilding of the island. It shocked everyone that she even think to do such a thing, except Oliver. He immediately smelled the stink of Waller's usual game play at work.

Diggle had set men to finding Barusa's family and before leaving confirmed that they had been found and returned safely to Barusa.

Snowflame's mansion burned to the ground while they gathered their wounded together in the yard, his body was left where it had fallen and likely was consumed by the fire along with the ridiculous amounts of cocaine were no doubt littered around the entire place. They'd never know how he got his powers or why but it was better that way. Cocaine had clearly destroyed his mind as trade for the abilities he was given. Nobody should have access to that power. Oliver was glad Waller wouldn't get access to his body for experimentation.

The A.R.G.U.S and men of Suicide Squad were celebrating while Team Arrow was sullen and silent on the flight, brooding over what was going to happen to Roy. Diggle had been forced to remove the remnants of his right arm and cauterize the wound to stop the bleeding. Roy had been shaking a little but the medical team from A.R.G.U.S efficiently stabilized him and got him onto the plane to do what they could for him.

Thea cried silently the entire flight. Things would never be the same again.

Their plane landed safely at A.R.G.U.S and they all began to slowly leave the ship and step into the hangar where everyone was waiting. Oliver watched Diggle rush to Lyla and Sarah and it made him smile to know he'd contributed to that. Flagg and his team were greeted warmly along with the returning A.R.G.U.S men and from what Oliver had picked up through conversation, most of the injured would live. He felt genuinely good about how this had turned out all in all. Sure, Roy and Lowe were injured but they had all returned alive and that was what really mattered.

Thea started to go down the stairs and Oliver stopped her. "This wasn't your fault, Thea."

"You weren't there," she shot back. "You didn't see what I saw." Before Oliver could say anything else she pulled away and walked swiftly off, brushing passed Felicity with barely an audible word and over to where doctors were pushing Roy off.

"She's taking this hard," Felicity observed when Oliver was close enough.

"We all are." Oliver replied. "But she blames herself."

"He was protecting her."

"We know that. Thea knows that too." Oliver told her. "And that's exactly why she blames herself. If she hadn't needed protecting Roy would still be whole. It'll take time but she'll move on eventually. We all do."

"Well, I for one am just glad everyone's alive." Felicity hugged Oliver tightly.

"I was feeling the same way." Oliver squeezed her back. "There were times out there I wasn't sure we could do it."

"Don't worry, you're the Green Arrow. You always find a way." Felicity patted him playfully on the shoulder.

"Lawton and Bertinelli saved my life," Oliver said while glancing over at the two he'd mentioned. Both were standing with the other Task Force X members talking amongst themselves. Lawton and Oliver locked eyes for a moment and Oliver gave him a nod of his head. Lawton gave a salute before continuing on with the A.R.G.U.S men. "If not for those two I'd be dead." Oliver looked at Felicity, "Maybe there is some good in everyone."

"Never ceases to amaze me." Felicity said whimsically.

"What?"

"The way things work out." She smiled.

Oliver opened his mouth to reply but caught a glance of Waller over Felicity's shoulder. She was talking to Rick Flagg and directing some A.R.G.U.S men. "I'll be right back." He walked over to her and when she noticed she sent the others away and began to clap slowly.

"Well done, Green Arrow." Oliver wanted to punch the teeth out of her evil smile but restrained himself. "You and your team did an excellent job."

"I know what you did, Waller. I know you used me." Oliver's voice was low and dangerous. Not the deep growl he used on the streets of Star City but backed by true, full fury. "I don't know what you've got planned for Santa Prisca but I'm watching you."

Waller took notice if Oliver's aggression and folder her arms. "Anything else?"

"It won't happen again," Oliver said forcefully. "I won't work for you again." He turned on his heel and stormed off.

Waller watched Oliver meet up with the Diggles and Felicity and began walking towards the infirmary where their teammate had been taken. She smiled devilishly, "So you've said before, Oliver..." she turned and began walking into the opposite direction. "...so you've said before."


	11. Epilogue

A.R.G.U.S. Files: Santa Prisca

Epilogue

* * *

John Diggle stood shirtless in the dead of night. The window was open as it was a warm night and the curtains were flowing a little in the wind that was blowing. He stared down at his beautiful family, his wife and daughter as they slept in the bed together. He sighed and smiled to himself.

He'd done it.

With the help of his wife, best friends and a small A.R.G.U.S army of course but he'd still done it. He'd survived, completed his mission and returned home just like he'd promised he would. Now, in the dead of night when a restlessness was on him, Diggle decided it was finally time to look at the reward he'd received for his trouble. When he first arrived back he'd decided to take some time to be with his family before reading the information Waller provided and being thrust back into the search for his brother's killer.

It had been easy at first to just blame a single man, Floyd Lawton, for the deed. It gave John a tangible target that he could one day find and take down. However, after what happened on Santa Prisca he and Lawton now shared a bond that few could understand. A bond formed in battle. Even now, try as he might, John couldn't muster up the old feelings of hatred he had for Lawton or any of the other members of Task Force X.

Everything had worked itself out in a way that Diggle really couldn't have ever imagined was even possible. The weight that was lifted from his shoulders as he held his wife and child in his arms again had been magnificent. He'd spent every day with them since, playing and catching up on time missed. At night he'd talk to Lyla about what he'd seen and done to get it from his chest. Like therapy after a soldier has been to war.

He thought back to Cutter and Scheffer and shook his head feeling guilt for having failed to get them home alive. He would never forget anything that he'd been through with these people and it would forever change how he judged people.

Diggle inhaled the sweet fresh night air and then took one last look at his family before leaving the room. He went into the study, turning on a lamp then sat down at the desk and looked at the file. He still hadn't opened it, choosing at the time of getting it, that right now wasn't the right moment. Now, full of family time and peace Diggle reached and opened it.

Inside it were pages of information about the supposed shadow organization along with pictures of individuals that had been proven to have been killed including his brother, Andrew Diggle. This was it, the proof and information he needed. He'd been wrong all along! It hadn't been Lawton that had killed his brother. Diggle skimmed over the pages quickly just looking for a name so he could know who he had to hate now and after several pages he found it.

"H.I.V.E?"

* * *

Oliver stood alone in his the base, arms folded and deep into his latest session of brooding when he heard the footsteps behind him.

He turned and smiled, "Good to see you back in town, Laurel."

Laurel smiled back, walking with purpose and her usual gusto. "Good to be back," she replied while gripping Oliver in a tight hug.

"How's your mother doing?" Oliver asked as Laurel let him go.

"Fine. Doctors said she should be alright if she sticks to her diet and exercise."

"That's good."

Laurel's demeanor turned serious, "Why didn't you guys call me for the whole Santa Prisca thing?" Oliver raised an eyebrow, "Felicity told me everything. I came back as soon as I could."

"That's why we didn't tell you, Laurel. Your mom was in the hospital. We felt like that was more important and didn't want to pull you away from that."

Laurel looked at Oliver as if trying to perceive if he was lying to her, "Thanks I guess. I still should have been there. Maybe if I had...Roy wouldn't..." she reached up and gripped her left elbow with her right hand in an insecure manner.

"Hey, hey, hey..." Oliver stepped towards her. "...Roy is fine and you didn't have anything to do with that accident, OK?"

"Plus there's already enough people blaming themselves." They both noticed that Felicity had entered the base. "Seems like it's the thing to do around here," she joked with a smile.

"Yeah, well I don't know." Laurel straightened herself up. "I'm just glad you're all alright."

Felicity took her usual seat in front of the computers. "You and me both. Shit got crazy on that island."

"I don't even think crazy is the word for it," Oliver said grimly and shook his head, sort of half smiling. "But we made it out alive. Together. It makes me rethink how I look at Waller's Suicide Squad."

"What do you mean?" Laurel asked.

"I only saw them as criminals. Criminals that I'd locked away and she was giving freedom to go commit more crimes." Oliver leaned on one of the desks. "But they're people just like us. People capable of doing good and the chance to do it."

"That's really sweet, Oliver," Felicity replied and Laurel nodded in agreement. "Screw, Waller though!" she added with feigned fury.

Oliver and Laurel laughed, "Oh yeah, screw her." Oliver agreed as he turned to a computer and began to type. He pulled up a satellite photo of Santa Prisca. "She used us so she could gain access to this island."

"What do you mean?" Laurel looked confused.

"The entire thing was a ruse," Oliver told her, he'd already discussed the subject with Felicity. "She got John to lead the Suicide Squad under the pretext of getting information about his brother's killer."

"That bitch..." Laurel whispered. "...all those people that died."

Oliver nodded, "If my years knowing her has taught me anything it's that Waller is a machine. Cold and calculating. Unfeeling and uncaring only focused on the task at hand and what needs to be done to succeed."

"Probably why they named her head of A.R.G.U.S in the first place," Felicity commented.

Oliver continued, "I think she sent them to the island knowing full well the odds they would face and hoped that they would get captured-"

"So Lyla would call in the rest of Team Arrow as backup." Laurel caught on.

"Exactly. John's good and the Suicide Squad is too but there was no way she could have thought they would beat two monsters like General Bolton and Snowflame with such limited resources," Oliver concluded.

"But why? What's so important about the island? It's always been a haven for drug lords and cartels." Felicity looked at the photo inquisitively as if the answer would appear on the screen. "It didn't seem like she wanted Snowflame out of power so she could end the drug trade."

Oliver rubbed his chin silently. "I don't know." He looked at Laurel and Felicity. "But I plan to find out. I'm going to monitor Santa Prisca and I'll need your help to set it up."

"You're good, Green Arrow..." Everyone jumped and turned around to see a man deep in the shadows. "...but you're not that good."

Laurel immediately balled her fists and rushed forward followed closely by Oliver toward the man in the shadow.

The man stepped out and both Oliver and Laurel stopped in their tracks. "He doesn't have a face?!"

Oliver breathed a deep breath, "Question? How did you get in here?"

Question shrugged slightly. "I have my ways," he offered.

Oliver started walking towards the central area where Felicity was standing. "You both know him?!" Laurel stood in shock while Question breezed passed her.

"I didn't believe he really didn't have a face," Felicity mumbled to Oliver.

"I think it's a mask," Oliver said back.

"First speedsters then aliens and now faceless men..." Laurel whispered to herself, obviously taken back by all of this.

"I can hear you all." Question put his hands in his pockets and leaned back against a desk.

"How did you know where to find me?" Oliver demanded.

"I'm the Question. Solving mysteries and answering questions is kind of my thing. I've known who all of you were for a long time." Question held up a hand before anyone said anything. "And not just you but the ones in Central and National City too."

"So you just go around figuring out people's secret identities? For what?" Laurel stood a ways off from Question, blocking the exit route with her arms folded defensively.

"I go around answering questions," Question told her. "And right now we all have the same one."

Oliver looked surprised, "And what's that?"

Question's head turned to Oliver. "What does Amanda Waller want with Santa Prisca?"

* * *

A single lamp lit the small room casting its light on a few inches of the desk it sat on and the lap of the person that was sitting in the chair. A file was laid opened showing several papers in it with a picture of Snowflame at the top marked 'KILLED' in red letters. Alongside that was a newly acquired picture of General Bolton along with a file detailing him. The top of Bolton's picture was marked 'KILLED' in red as well. Beside the files was a glass half full of a dark liquor and a handgun.

It'd been one hell of a gamble but in the end it had paid off well. She'd planned it perfectly from the beginning and everything had fallen into place. Getting John Diggle to lead the team and likely fail, Lyla going rogue and Oliver going in to save his friend. Sure there had been the risk of Diggle being killed instead of captured but that was fifty-fifty and those were good enough odds for Waller.

She'd known that either the first team would succeed or fail and if they failed then Oliver Queen would succeed. They could ignore Snowflame's crimes when they were a world away but once she made sure that those crimes hit close to home, Waller knew either Snowflame would be killed or arrested and either worked for her.

Amanda Waller leaned forward and closed the file marked 'SANTA PRISCA RECON MISSION' and then took a sip of the drink. She placed the file in a drawer then pulled out another and locked it. The file she placed on the table was unmarked but when she opened it there was a picture of Chien Na Wei with her alias 'China White' written at the bottom.

Waller went through some of the pages in the file revealing pictures of Frank Bertinelli, Danny Brickwell, and Werner Zytle. Several of the pictures were of all of the individuals together at random locations.

"What are they doing..." she whispered to herself. Over the past few months they had increasing activity all over A.R.G.U.S channels. Massive amounts of drugs, weapons and ammunition being imported and exported while kidnappings and slave sales skyrocketed as well. Weapons both biological and technical were being moved like chess pieces and the trail all led back to these individuals she was looking at.

What was stressing her brain was that no matter how deep she dug she couldn't figure out what the hell was going on. Brickwell was a relatively small time pusher in comparison to Bertinelli and he in comparison to Chien Na Wei who was international with her business. Zytle was a crime boss like Brickwell and Bertinelli but had hit big when he started selling vertigo. Still small time compared to what Chien Na Wei was doing. Now however the four of them had been sighted together all over the world and their hands were seemingly in every pot they could be.

"What am I missing?" Waller had racked her brain over this for months and come up with nothing. Her desperation had led her to come up with the idea of Task Force X latest mission.

In truth, Snowflame was barely a flea in comparison to the numerous things Amanda Waller dealt with but the island of Santa Prisca however was prime drug real estate. Waller needed that real estate and Snowflame had refused to play ball when approached with a very generous offer.

He had to die.

Waller had manipulated the pieces so that John Diggle and his vigilante friends had taken care of that without her ever having to reveal her true hand. It was brilliant really. Oh, she'd known about H.I.V.E involvement with whatever happened to Andy Diggle for quite some time but what she had told Diggle in the beginning was true. She had held the information until just the right time.

Oliver would never have agreed to work with her again and, much to her regret, Waller had no meta-humans to call on like Star Labs or the D.E.O. Diggle had been the perfect candidate from the get-go and she had held her trump card until the precise moment.

With Santa Prisca now open for new leadership it was Waller's hope that Chien Na Wei and associates would take notice and move in to take over. If that happened they would be right where she wanted them.

Amanda Waller smiled a little before finishing her drink and turned off the lamp.

* * *

Roy sat on the edge of his bed staring out into the night. He glanced periodically down at his stump of an arm that was supposed to be in a sling whenever he was up. He still had much healing to do, the doctors had told him.

They'd also repeatedly told him how lucky he was to have friends like his nearby that knew what to do and acted quickly. Roy had grown tired of hearing them talk and fell into silent brooding.

The only thing that cheered him up was when Thea came to visit and even then he spent most of the time trying to convince her not to blame herself. But who was he kidding? How could he say those words and truly mean them? He had jumped in the way of the gunshot willingly but he had done it for her at the end of the day. For his love for her. A woman that wasn't even his anymore.

"Fool..." Roy rubbed his face with his left hand. He could still feel his right arm as if it were there. It bothered him but the doctors had said the feeling would eventually go away.

Sighing heavily, Roy stood up and reached over picking up a pen that was sitting on the nightstand next to his bed. He leaned over and scribbled down a note the best he could with his injuries. After he finished he tore the page and placed it on his bed.

A bag with some of his belongings was sitting on the chair across from his bed. Thea had brought them to him a few days ago. Some clothes, personal items and cleaning supplies from home to make him more comfortable. When she'd done that, Roy had made up his mind. He was leaving. He didn't know where he was going or what he was going to do but he knew that he had no place here anymore and he had to go find his.

He put his sling on and then hoisted the bag onto his left shoulder. He'd make a quick stop by his old place for a few more things before leaving town but this was it.

Roy opened the door and walked out.

* * *

His footsteps echoed loudly in the empty halls. His uniform was tattered and dirty. Spots of blood were dotted here and there amongst the grime and numerous holes. The general's hat on his head matched his outfit and the grim look on his face did as well.

Still, General Reagan Bolton walked with his back straight and no fear in his eyes. He was following a robed figure he assumed was a man through a series of hallways lit only by torchlight. In truth he didn't like this place much. He could feel the witchcraft in the air and it made the hair on his body stand up every time. But a man had to answer when his employers called and so here he was again to report for the fiasco that had happened on Santa Prisca.

The fact that he'd survived at all was more attributed to luck then anything else. The explosion had opened up the ground beneath him and if not for the water the fall would have killed him. Luck had kept the rocks and debris from crushing him under the water but once he realized he was alive he began to swim underwater attempting to get away from the falling rubble. His body ached with every stroke and that fueled his anger and resentment. When he surfaced he had seen the Green Arrow leaving the room and Snowflame's boat was gone as well so he made his way ashore and collapsed unconscious for an unknown amount of time.

When he awoke and finally made it he found his base destroyed and men scattered. No hails on radios were answered and so he made his way to Snowflame's home only to find it burning to the ground and the man himself dead. Bolton spat on his body before making his way to his personal secret hideout in the forest where he contacted his bosses about the situation.

It was funny to Bolton that everyone had thought Snowflame was the one in charge of the island, even Snowflame himself. None knew that Bolton was really the one pulling the strings with his in turn being pulled by his employers. Snowflame had lived so long because Bolton had been ordered to allow it. If not for that he would have shot that drug-addicted imbecile when they first met.

Bolton had never been one for being the face of anything or overtly displaying the true depths of his power. Power had been something he had always been in love with ever since he first learned the harsher lessons of life in his youth. He would grow to learn that while the President may be the face of power to the world there were people behind the scenes that were pulling his strings. That was who Bolton wanted to be and sought to be.

He had been sent to Santa Prisca to keep an eye on his employers' interests and make sure the locals didn't interfere with anything. A cushy job for the most part, plenty of men to order around, plenty of locals to torture when the mood was on him and women for those lonely nights. None of them had expected American intervention and men being sent in to deal with Snowflame. Even more so the arrival of the Green Arrow and his team.

The man leading him came to a stop at two large doors and pushed them open, standing aside to allow Bolton entry.

He walked into the dimly lit room without hesitation. He could see high pillars rising to the roof where torches were placed. He could smell the scent of delicious food but could see nothing so far. The room itself was void of anything except a carpet that ran from the door to a raised platform at the end of the room. Atop the platform was a long table with chairs around it and the source of the mouth watering aroma.

Four men sat at the table eating quietly. One of them looked up, noticed him and smiled. It unsettled Bolton every time he saw this man smile for there was no warmth in it at all. This was one of the few men Bolton had met in his life that was more sadistic then him.

"Welcome, General. Welcome. Please have a seat. Join us."

Bolton stepped onto the platform and took a seat beside Vandal Savage. Now in good light he could make out Malcolm Merlyn, or Ra's Al Ghul as he was going by now; sitting across from him were two men he hadn't met before. As if reading his mind, Vandal Savage made introductions.

"General, this is Maxwell Lord and Felix Faust. They have been shown The Light and accepted its blessings as have we all." Savage worked his plate while speaking. Taking brief moments to chew small bites of food. "As I told you we'll be expanding our membership over the next months and welcoming new brothers and sisters into The Light."

"You look rough, General," Faust commented. "We hear things on Santa Prisca went very poorly."

"We were unprepared for a large scale vigilante offensive," Bolton said simply.

"To be sure," Savage replied easily. "Who could have suspected intervention from the Green Arrow and his band of merry men?"

Bolton made himself a plate and ate while Savage spoke, nodding here and there to let him know that he was listening but remaining silent for the most part. Felix Faust was older looking, almost ancient and gave off an eerie stink of magic. He looked at Lord and could feel the witchcraft on him as well. There was something off about these four men but he didn't know what and didn't care as long as he was paid and got to do what he wanted.

"Still, it's a shame what happened on Santa Prisca," Savage continued, interrupting Bolton's thoughts.

"Indeed. The income could have been put to good use," Lord added.

"I suspect," said Felix Faust. "The income is of no consequence. The three of you alone can easily cover it." Faust waved off the talk of monetary loss. The three men sitting across from him had access to more wealth then the average mind could comprehend and Faust himself had amassed a fortune over his extended lifespan. The money coming in from Santa Prisca was small to say the least.

"The truth of what really happened has come to the light, General." Savage passed a folder down to Bolton who began to look through the pages. "It seems that a woman by the name of Amanda Waller approached Snowflame with an offer of some kind. When he refused she sent in the team you captured and then she sent in the Star City vigilantes."

"We should kill them all," Faust interrupted.

"One of them is my daughter." Ra's Al Ghul butted in. "She is not to be harmed under any circumstances."

"Very well," Savage waved off the short outburst. "But it will fall to you to bring her to the Light, Ra's Al Ghul. And you are not to fail under any circumstances." Ra's nodded his head silently acknowledging what that meant.

"So what is to be done about this A.R.G.U.S and what happened on Santa Prisca?" Bolton asked after he closed the folder. He'd read enough for now.

"I believe we can use this to our advantage," Ra's Al Ghul said. "Snowflame was a drug addled fool and useless in the bigger plans of The Light. I have some associates who are more enlightened and would be very interested in Santa Prisca. We would, of course, reap the most benefits of them taking over."

Savage looked thoughtful. "Ordo Ab Chao," he murmured in a sadistic way. Bolton raised an eyebrow in question. "It means Order out of chaos, General. It is the very motto by which The Light thrives. To some the events on Santa Prisca may seem chaotic and ruinous but here, amongst the enlightened..." he motioned to Ra's Al Ghul, Felix Faust and Malcolm Lord. "...it is but another opportunity to bring order."

"Your order." Bolton observed.

Savage grinned and nodded his head then spoke. "Very well, Ra's Al Ghul. See to the arrangements as soon as possible." He looked at General Bolton. "How would you feel about going back to Santa Prisca? Same deal as before, of course."

Bolton looked up from his dinner plate and simply smiled.

THE END

* * *

 _ **Thanks to all those who read and even more thanks to those that reviewed. Hope you all enjoyed the story because I definitely enjoyed bringing it to you. The heroes and villains stories will continue in the next story in the Arrowverse series. Follow along to see how it all turns out.**_

 _ **House Doofensmirtz!**_


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